Japan Nears 100,000 New COVID-19 Cases... Records Highest Number for Two Consecutive Days

200 Times Increase Compared to a Month Ago
Number of Deaths and Severe Cases Also Rising

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Japan's new COVID-19 cases are approaching 100,000 for the second consecutive day, breaking daily records continuously.

On the 3rd, a total of 96,845 new infections were confirmed nationwide in Japan (according to NHK data), setting a record high for the second consecutive day. Compared to New Year's Day, the number has surged nearly 200 times in just over a month.

The cumulative number of confirmed cases surpassed 3 million just two weeks after reaching the 2 million mark on the 20th of last month.

Although the Omicron variant has a lower severity rate, the absolute number of confirmed cases has increased, resulting in a rise in deaths and severe cases. On this day, 90 deaths were reported nationwide, 10 more than the previous day, and the number of severe cases requiring ventilator treatment rose to 911.

Tokyo, which reported over 20,000 new infections for the second consecutive day, raised its medical system alert level to the most serious stage. However, considering the lower severity of Omicron, the government decided to monitor the situation further before requesting a state of emergency declaration.

In areas where a state of emergency is declared, governors of metropolitan areas can request or order restaurants and other businesses to shorten operating hours or close, among various legal measures to curb the spread of infection.

As the surge in new cases continues, the Japanese government is considering extending priority measures to prevent spread in 13 metropolitan areas, including Tokyo, until the 13th.

The target areas for priority measures, which are pre-state-of-emergency level infection control measures, have expanded to 35 out of 47 prefectures nationwide, including Wakayama Prefecture, which was added on this day.

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