Japan's health ministry will outline around early March how the medical system for coronavirus patients will change once the government downgrades the legal classification of COVID-19.

Ministry discussions on the matter have included its expert panel.

The ministry plans to review the current system under which all medical fees for people who see doctors or are hospitalized for coronavirus symptoms are covered with public money.

But the overhaul will take place in stages so as not to discourage people from visiting hospitals due to a sharp increase in medical fees they have to bear.

The ministry also plans to make arrangements to allow, in phases, more medical institutions with anti-infection measures in place to accept coronavirus patients. Currently, only designated facilities can accept such patients.

The ministry is expected to start full-blown discussions on the plans and potential problems next month. It will then announce specific measures so that medical institutions and local governments will be able to make preparations smoothly.

COVID-19 is now classified as the equivalent to category two, the second-most severe tier on the classification system under Japan's infectious disease control law.

That classification allows authorities to take strict measures, including restrictions on people's movements to prevent the spread of the disease.

The government is planning to downgrade COVID-19 on May 8 to category five, the same as seasonal influenza.