Japan crossed 10,000 daily COVID-19 infections for the first time

Monday, August 2, 2021

Japan has surpassed 10,000 daily Covid infections for the first time, leaving health officials in the country rattled as they battle to get the outbreak under control.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that the government will decide whether to declare regional states of emergency in response to calls from some prefectures amid the worsening situation.

For a third day running, Tokyo reported a record number of daily Covid-19 infections: the host city for the Olympics recorded 3,865 new cases today, up from 3,177 on Wednesday, 2,848 on Tuesday, and 1,970 a week ago. Today’s numbers are almost double last week’s numbers.

Japanese prefectures close to Tokyo, such as Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, and Ibaraki also recorded a significant rise.

The Chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato said that they have never experienced an expansion in the infection rate of this magnitude.

Mr Suga today invited heads from five ministries, including the ministry of health, for an emergency cabinet office meeting. The government is considering  extending the current state of emergency declaration beyond Tokyo to surrounding prefectures, excluding Ibaraki, and increasing restrictions in Osaka and Hokkaido.

Equally worrisome for the organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which kicked off less than week ago, is the record-breaking daily infections directly connected to the Games.

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