Deaths of COVID-19 patients top 20,000 in Japan

Courtesy of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases
The omicron variant of the novel coronavirus is seen in an electron micrograph.

Over 20,000 people with COVID-19 have died in Japan as of Friday, according to a cumulative tally compiled by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

As for new infections with the novel coronavirus, Tokyo confirmed 18,660 cases the same day.

The daily count in the capital fell by 1,138 from the previous Friday. This marked the third consecutive day that the figure has been lower compared to a week earlier.