Tokyo’s daily COVID-19 cases top 40,000 for 1st time amid 7th wave

The logging of record infections in many other areas other than Tokyo comes after the World Health Organization said Japan had reported the world's highest number of new coronavirus cases in the week to Sunday with more than 969,000.

Tokyo's new all-time high, which exceeded its previous record of 34,995 reported on Friday, is believed to have included around 5,000 to 6,000 cases from Wednesday that were unable to be logged due to a system error.

With the majority of infections among those in their 20s, the capital's seven-day rolling average of new cases stood at 31,318.1 per day, up 66.4 percent from the previous week.

The bed occupancy rate has topped 50 percent, meaning its bed provisions are also under pressure.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference Wednesday that the pandemic is far from over.

According to the U.N. organization, there were over 6.6 million new cases globally in the week to Sunday, up about 300,000 from the previous week.

After Japan, the United States reported the highest number of new infections at around 860,000, and Germany at about 570,000.

The number of newly reported deaths stood at over 12,600, with the United States recording the highest number at around 2,600, followed by Brazil at about 1,400. Japan confirmed 272 deaths.

With the death toll climbing in recent weeks and some countries seeing increased hospitalizations, it is essential to vaccinate health care workers and the elderly, Tedros said.