Japan reports 202 new coronavirus cases

Jiji Press

12:22 JST, November 19, 2021

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan confirmed 202 new cases of novel coronavirus infection on Saturday, the first daily count above 200 since Nov. 17.

The number of severely ill coronavirus patients stood at 26, unchanged from Friday. The country had no COVID-19 fatality for the second straight day.

The health ministry said that the new omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 13 people who tested COVID-19 positive at airport quarantine after arriving in Japan from abroad.

The 13 entered Japan between Sunday and Wednesday, after visiting countries including the United States, Nigeria and Zambia.

The cumulative number of omicron infection cases confirmed in Japan rose to 65, including two cases reported in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, on Saturday.

Tokyo reported 28 new cases of novel coronavirus infection, up by eight from a week before.

The seven-day average of daily positive cases in the Japanese capital stood at 21.6, up 17.4 pct from the preceding week. The number of coronavirus patients with severe symptoms under the metropolitan government’s standards stood at three, unchanged from Friday.

Hit by a large-scale cluster of infections at factories, Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan, confirmed 19 new positive cases.