TOKYO, Dec 24 (NNN-NHK) – Japan on Wednesday confirmed a daily record 3,271 COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 206,988, not including those related to a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo.
The nation’s death toll also marked a single-day high at 56, with the total number of deaths since the outbreak of the virus now reaching 3,082 people.
In Tokyo, the hardest hit by the virus of all of Japan’s 47 prefectures, 748 new infections were reported yesterday, marking the second-highest daily increase.
As cases continue to surge, over the past nine consecutive days, the capital reported record high cases for each day of the week. Tokyo’s cumulative total cases now stands at 53,130 infections.
Last week, Tokyo saw a record 822 daily cases, leading the Tokyo metropolitan government, to raise its alert regarding the strain on the medical system, to the highest on its four tier scale, marking the first time the highest alert level has been activated.
Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike, while urging people to take increased anti-virus measures during the year-end and New Year holiday period, has also requested people to refrain from unnecessary outings.
Despite the recent surge in cases and the strain on medical system, Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga said, there was no need to declare a national state of emergency, although further restrictions on bars and restaurants may be put in place.
The pace of the virus’ spread has many experts extremely concerned about the medical system possibly buckling, as it took less than two months for the figure to double to top the 200,000-mark, compared to the nine and a half months it took, to reach the 100,000-mark from when the first case was diagnosed.
“The spread of the virus has led to a rise in the number of hospitalised patients,” Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, said.
“It will be difficult to manage general medical treatment alongside the pandemic,” Wakita, who also chairs a government panel of medical experts, said.
