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| People wearing protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk along a pedestrian crossing, on July 25, 2022, in Tokyo. (File photo by=AP/Eugene Hoshiko) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] TOKYO: Japan's daily coronavirus cases surpassed 209,000 for the first time on Wednesday as the country continues to struggle with the seventh wave of infections driven by the highly transmissible BA.5 Omicron subvariant, Kyodo reported.
The previous record was set last week at around 201,000, according to a tally based on local government reports. Despite the resurgence of the virus, the country has not imposed restrictions on people's movements. More than half of the nation's 47 prefectures logged record numbers of cases Wednesday, including Hokkaido and Kyoto. Tokyo reported an additional 29,036 COVID-19 cases. Osaka Prefecture reported 21,860 new infections, raising its alert to the highest of three levels for the first time in about three months and asking elderly people to refrain from nonessential outings as they are at increased risk of developing severe symptoms.
The nationwide count for the week through Tuesday nearly doubled from the previous week, according to the health ministry. "New infections have been continuously increasing at a rapid pace to its highest ever level across Japan," Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Shigeyuki Goto told a meeting of the ministry's advisory panel of experts.
