TOKYO, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Tokyo surpassed the 1,000-mark for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, Governor Yuriko Koike said Thursday, according to local media.
Public broadcaster NHK, meanwhile, quoted Tokyo metropolitan government sources as saying that new cases have topped 1,300, far eclipsing the previous record of 949 cases logged last Saturday, as the city continues to grapple with consistently rising infections.
The latest figures come as Tokyo's medical system is becoming increasingly strained owing to rising infections and experts have warned that the situation is "entering a critical stage."
The experts said the medical system in the Japanese capital "may collapse if the situation continues."
The warning follows a panel of experts and Tokyo metropolitan government officials meeting the previous day regarding the pandemic.
They decided to keep the medical system at the highest alert level on its four tier scale.
