COVID-19 cases rising nationwide
15:46 JST, July 1, 2022
COVID-19 cases are trending upward across Japan, according to a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry advisory panel monitoring the status of the pandemic.
It noted that the number of seriously ill patients is also slowly increasing and stressed the need to closely monitor the impact on the medical care system.
According to the ministry, the number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide increased by 17% in the week ending June 29 compared to the previous week. By prefecture, the number of new cases increased by 37% in Tokyo, 21% in Aichi, 33% in Osaka and 20% in Fukuoka.
Cases increased in 29 prefectures, mostly in metropolitan areas. Shimane prefecture saw a significant surge, with cases rising by 192%, and in Tottori prefecture, cases increased by 60% rise.
“It may be due to a gradual decline in the immunity that had been acquired through booster vaccinations or infection,” said Takaji Wakita, the panel’s chair and the head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. “The increase in opportunities for person-to-person contact is also believed to have had an impact.”
Wakita said there is a risk of further increases if the currently predominant omicron variant is replaced by the BA.5 subvariant in the future.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
-
Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
-
Whaling Mother Ship Built in Japan for 1st Time in 73 Years
-
U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
-
Tsunami Advisory for Okinawa Lifted at Noon (UPDATE 2)
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- Cherry Blossoms Draw Crowd to Tokyo’s Ueno Park; Viewing Season Kicks Off to Slow Start
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- Whaling Mother Ship Built in Japan for 1st Time in 73 Years