Japanese ICU doctor expects long battle against coronavirus

A medical worker wearing a protective face mask monitors remotely the live footages of patients at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients at St. Marianna Medical University Hospital in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan May 4, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

KAWASAKI, Japan (Reuters) - Japanese doctors face a long, grueling campaign against the novel coronavirus even if the government extends a state of emergency for another month, a senior doctor said on Monday.

The St Marianna University Hospital in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, was one of the first in Japan to convert parts of its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) into beds for people suffering from the novel coronavirus.