Naoto Ueyama, head of the Japan Doctors Association, warned that athletes from more than 200 countries and territories attending the Toyko Olympics, scheduled to take place in eight weeks, will be dangerous and dangerous.
`All virus strains mutating in different places will concentrate in Tokyo. We cannot deny the possibility of a new virus strain appearing,` Naoto Ueyama said at a press conference on May 25.
Kenji Shibuya, director of the Institute of Population Health at Imperial College in London, said that virus mutations only occur in the bodies of people who are immunocompromised or have been partially immune for a long time.
Japan pledged to host a safe Olympics in Tokyo after a year of delay due to Covid-19, but is struggling to cope with a fourth outbreak and preparing to expand a state of emergency across the country.
Japanese people wearing masks walk through the area near where the Olympic symbol is located in Tokyo on January 22.
Japanese officials, Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) all announced the event would take place and follow strict epidemic prevention measures.
Despite these measures, many people are still concerned about the risk of nCoV spreading as delegations of athletes and officials flock to Japan, where the vaccination program is moving slowly with just over 5% of the population vaccinated.
On May 26, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper published an editorial urging the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics, but former IOC vice president Dick Pound said `this monumental sporting event should continue.`
Officials said the Japanese government is preparing to extend the state of emergency in most localities, expected to end on May 31.
IOC member John Coates said the Olympics could be held even in a state of emergency.
The United States earlier this week advised citizens not to go to Japan, but the Olympic organizer said this would not affect the event.
However, Australia’s major sports federations and those who put their faith in the Olympics are still arguing about contingency plans, after officials announced a 7-day blockade in the southern state of Victoria to prevent COVID-19.
Chiba Prefecture of Japan, bordering the capital Tokyo, on May 27 announced the cancellation of the Olympic torch relay due to concerns about the spread of the disease.
Covid-19 broke out in December 2019, appearing in 220 countries and territories with more than 169 million infections, more than 3.5 million deaths and nearly 151 million people have recovered.
