In one of Japan's biggest cities, Osaka, people are appealing appealed for donations of raincoats to be used as personal protection gear by hospital workers dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
Given the shortage of proper protective clothing in Osaka, health workers are being forced to resort to wearing garbage bags over their scrubs.
City's Mayor Ichiro Matsui has been pleading people to donate raincoats,?"Please send us unused raincoats. Any colour will do," he told reporters on Tuesday.
The region has seen cases mount in recent days, with more than 830 infections recorded, the second-highest in the country after Tokyo's 2,171.
"Some hospital workers are wearing a garbage bag as an alternative to protective gear," Matsui said, adding the makeshift fix raises contamination risks for workers as they removed them over their heads.
"It doesn't matter if you're an Osaka city citizen or not. Please provide us raincoats," the city government website said.
The request comes as Japan's two emergency medicine associations issued a joint statement saying they are "already sensing the collapse of the emergency medical system".?
"The number of hospitals that can accept patients suffering from a high fever and breathing problems is decreasing," the statement said, warning these patients were instead being sent to emergency clinics which had to turn away patients with other serious medical complaints.
"We fear that patients suffering from heart attacks, strokes, or multiple injuries might lose precious time in being treated," the statement said.
Japan has seen a relatively smaller-scale outbreak than many other countries, with 8,100 infections and 119 deaths since the first case emerged in mid-January.
But the government has now declared a state of emergency in seven regions after medical advisors warned the outbreak could grow quickly if people did not stay inside and reduce contact.
According to latest reports,? more than two million have been infected with coronavirus worldwide, while 1,26,871 deaths have been recorded.?
Europe is the hardest hit continent, with more than a million cases and 85,271 fatalities. The United States, where the virus is spreading most rapidly, registered 6,09,240 cases, and 26,033 deaths.