'Cherry Blossom Season' Japan Nears 1,800 New COVID-19 Cases... Surge Pattern

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eunbyeol] The number of COVID-19 cases in Japan is showing a rapid increase again. As spring arrives and more people are going out for flower viewing and other outings, the full lifting of the state of emergency appears to have influenced this trend.

According to NHK broadcasting on the 28th, the total number of newly confirmed COVID-19 infections across Japan was 1,784 (as of 6:30 PM), including 313 cases in Tokyo. This is the highest number of new cases on a Sunday in eight weeks since January 31 (2,673 cases).

Japan's new cases peaked near 8,000 on January 8, when the first state of emergency of the year was declared, and then shifted to a downward trend.

However, since the full lifting of the state of emergency in the Tokyo metropolitan area on the 22nd, based on political decisions, the situation has reversed. New cases surged from the 800 range on the 22nd to 1,500 on the 23rd, then to the 1,900 range on the 24th and 25th, followed by the 2,000 range on the 26th and 27th, and approached 1,800 on Sunday.

Therefore, there are concerns within Japan that the COVID-19 epidemic phase is transitioning from the third wave to the fourth wave of spread.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.