Tokyo confirms record 1,591 daily coronavirus cases
TOKYO. KAZINFORM - Tokyo's daily coronavirus infections totaled a record 1,591 on Wednesday, officials said, as the rapid spread of infections shows no sign of abating across Japan, Kyodo reports.
The previous daily high was 1,337 set on Thursday last week, with the new record coming a day before Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to approve a plan to declare another state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures.
On Tuesday, Japan confirmed over 4,900 new infections, marking the highest daily tally yet, with Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, all of which are to be covered by the planned state of emergency, logging record daily cases.
Tokyo reported 1,278 new infections on the same day, with a record-high 111 COVID-19 patients in serious condition, raising concerns about the strain on the medical system in the capital.
Government officials have said the planned state of emergency will likely be in place for about one month with residents being encouraged to stay home and restaurants and other establishments serving food asked to close by 8 p.m.
But some health experts have warned it will take longer for the third wave of infections to come under control.
Hiroshi Nishiura, a professor at Kyoto University specializing in mathematical modeling for infectious diseases, on Wednesday told a meeting of health experts advising the government it will take two months or so for the daily number of new infections in Tokyo to fall below 100.
Shigeru Omi, head of a government subcommittee on the pandemic, said Tuesday it would be an «extremely difficult feat» to improve the situation to a state where the state of emergency could be lifted in less than one month.
Suga has seen support ratings plummet amid public dissatisfaction with his COVID-19 response and hopes implementing restrictions «in a limited and focused manner» under the state of emergency will help stem the outbreak while avoiding massive damage to the economy.
Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the government's COVID-19 response, is set to report to parliament on Thursday.
The prime minister met with Nishimura, health minister Norihisa Tamura and Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato at his office Wednesday and told them to speed up preparations for the state of emergency.
The government previously declared an emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures in early April last year to fight the first wave of infections, later expanding it nationwide before lifting it in late May.