Why does Japan have so few cases of COVID-19?

Akiko Iwasaki; Nathan D Grubaugh

doi:10.15252/emmm.202012481

Why does Japan have so few cases of COVID-19?

EMBO Mol Med. 2020 May 8;12(5):e12481. doi: 10.15252/emmm.202012481. Epub 2020 Apr 28.

Authors

Akiko Iwasaki^{1

2}, Nathan D Grubaugh³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
² Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
³ Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread to many countries around the world, but the infection and death rates vary widely. One country that appeared to have kept the infection under control despite limited societal restrictions is Japan. This commentary explores why Japan may have, up to now, been spared an escalation of the SARS-CoV-2 infections.

MeSH terms

BCG Vaccine / immunology
Betacoronavirus*
Communicable Disease Control
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
Coronavirus Infections / genetics
Coronavirus Infections / immunology
Culture
Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated
Genetic Variation
Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / genetics
Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / immunology
Humans
Japan / epidemiology
Pandemics
Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / genetics
Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
Pneumonia, Viral / genetics
Pneumonia, Viral / immunology

Substances

BCG Vaccine
Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated
Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
musk
Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
angiotensin converting enzyme 2

Supplementary concepts

COVID-19
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2