Japanese Research Team: "A COVID-19 Emergency Situation May Occur During the Olympic Period"

Takaji Wakita, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and chair of the COVID-19 expert group operated by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, is holding a press conference after a meeting on the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] An analysis has emerged suggesting that Tokyo, the host city of the Olympics this July, may face a re-declaration of a COVID-19 state of emergency.

A research team involving the National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan and Kyoto University presented the projected number of new infections in the Tokyo area, where the state of emergency is planned to be lifted, at the COVID-19 expert meeting operated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on the 16th.

According to the research team's analysis, if the impact of the Delta variant?known to be more contagious and originating from India?is relatively low and the increase in population movement during the Olympic period is suppressed to about 10%, the daily new confirmed cases in Tokyo are expected to exceed 1,000 in late July or early August, right after the Olympic opening. In this case, Tokyo may need to re-declare a COVID-19 state of emergency.

Especially if the influence of the Delta variant grows stronger, the timing for re-declaring the state of emergency could be moved forward to early or mid-July, before the Olympics begin, according to the analysis.

As of the 15th, just before the planned lifting of the state of emergency, the average daily number of new confirmed cases in Tokyo over the past week was about 375.

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