Japan's Daily COVID-19 Cases Top 1,000 for First Time in 3 Months - Reports
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan has surpassed 1,000 for the first time in three months, the national media reported on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th January, 2022) The number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan has surpassed 1,000 for the first time in three months, the national media reported on Tuesday.
According to the Jiji Press news agency, the country has confirmed 1,068 new cases, the highest number since October 6.
Meanwhile, the Kyodo news agency reported that Tokyo had confirmed 151 daily new cases, hitting triple digits for the second day in a row, while Osaka prefecture detected 124 new cases, exceeding 100 for the first time since October.
The largest increase was found in Okinawa at 225 cases, including 47 cases of the Omicron variant. Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki is considering asking the central government to impose quasi-emergency measures to stop the spread of the disease.
In November, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the new strain as one of concern, with a high number of mutations possibly making it more transmissible and dangerous. The WHO dubbed it Omicron, the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.
The first case of Omicron was discovered in the country in early December. So far, Japan has not introduced internal restrictions but has stopped issuing new visas to foreigners, and suspended those already issued for businessmen and students. Meanwhile, tourists have not been able to enter the country since late December 2020.