A staff member of Takenoko ENT Clinic replenishes a package containing a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to a vending machine at the entrance of a ramen noodle shop at Shibuya district in Tokyo, Japan March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato
TOKYO (Reuters) - In Japan, convenience is king and getting tested for COVID-19 can be highly inconvenient. Part of solution, as it is for a range of daily necessities in Tokyo, has become the humble vending machine.
Eager to conserve manpower and hospital resources, the government conducts just 40,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests a day, a quarter of its capacity, restricting them to people who are quite symptomatic or have had a high chance of being infected.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
