Despite Japan's state of emergency, nearly 20,000 new COVID-19 cases reported... "Growing concerns over healthcare system collapse"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Although the Japanese government is making an all-out effort by expanding the emergency declaration areas, the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to surge.

According to NHK's tally on the 17th, as of 6:30 PM, the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 infections nationwide in Japan was 19,955, marking the highest number ever recorded on a Tuesday.

This represents an increase of about 90% compared to a week ago.

Among the 47 prefectures nationwide, Tokyo, where the infection situation is the most severe, reported the highest number of new cases on a Tuesday with 4,377 new infections.

Additionally, 18 regions including Osaka, Hyogo, and Shizuoka saw record-high numbers of new cases, indicating that the infection situation is worsening nationwide.

As of this day, the total cumulative number of infections in Japan has surpassed 1.18 million, and the total number of deaths increased by 47 in one day to reach 15,499.

The number of severe patients receiving treatment such as ventilator support reached 1,646, marking the highest number for five consecutive days, raising concerns about the collapse of the medical system.

In response to the worsening COVID-19 situation, the Japanese government decided to extend the state of emergency, which had been declared with a deadline until the end of this month in six areas including Tokyo, until the 12th of next month.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

They also decided to strengthen special measures by adding seven regions including Shizuoka to the state of emergency application target.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pointed to the Delta variant as the cause of the spread of infection during the COVID-19 task force meeting where the extension and expansion of the state of emergency were decided, expressing a sense of crisis by saying, "Severe patients are also rapidly increasing, and the medical system is in a very difficult situation, especially in the metropolitan area."

He emphasized that the three main goals are to establish a COVID-19 response medical system, thoroughly prevent infections, and promote vaccination.

Among these, Prime Minister Suga said that the top priority is to build a medical system to save patients' lives, and he stated that efforts will be made to secure dedicated hospital beds, strengthen care services for home care patients, and actively utilize antibody cocktail therapy.

Meanwhile, a large-scale cluster occurred at a medical institution in Okinawa, an area under the state of emergency, resulting in the deaths of 64 hospitalized patients.

According to NHK, in mid-last month at Uruma Memorial Hospital in Okinawa, after one staff member was confirmed positive for the Delta variant, the infection spread rapidly.

So far, a total of 199 people, including 173 hospitalized patients and 26 staff members at this hospital, have been confirmed infected, and among them, 64 patients, mainly elderly, have died.

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