Coronavirus

COVID-19 infections in Japan drop below 6th-wave peak

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
HER-SYS, a national computer-based system for consolidating information on COVID-19 patients, is seen on a monitor display at a Tokyo clinic in April.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:00 JST, September 22, 2022

COVID-19 is on the wane in Japan. Infection levels have fallen from the sixth-wave’s peak, and new cases will continue to decline in many parts of the nation, according to an advisory body of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

However, the body, which monitors the pandemic’s status, also urged caution Wednesday, saying numbers could climb again due to interpersonal contact during the consecutive holidays.

According to the ministry, there were about 470,000 new cases of COVID-19 in Japan in the week ending Tuesday — down 29% from the previous week. The sixth wave peaked at about 620,000 in early February.

As of Tuesday, new case numbers had fallen in each of Japan’s 47 prefectures. In Tokyo and Osaka, the week-on-week figures dipped 21% and 32%, respectively.

The overall decline is believed to be linked to an increase in the number of people with immunity after being vaccinated against the disease, among other reasons.

Serious illnesses and deaths related to COVID-19 continue to decrease, too.