The First Death in Japan Attributed to COVID-19: A Brief Report

Abstract

Our hospital encountered the first coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pneumonia death in Japan. Moreover, we prevented nosocomial infection by taking appropriate infection control measures, without a negative pressure chamber. The patient was an 82-year-old woman who had no history of traveling to Wuhan or any direct contact with individuals who had been to Wuhan. Our patient had a seven-day history of fatigue, sudden fever, and hypoxemia. Chest computerized tomography images revealed peripheral ground-glass opacities in her lungs. A diagnostic COVID-19 reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The patient did not respond to any treatment and died 13 days after admission. The possibility of COVID-19 in a patient must always be considered, especially in the current scenario, to prevent nosocomial infection from spreading.