TOKYO, July 29. / TASS /. Tokyo’s daily COVID-19 case count is likely to see a 1.5-fold rise in two weeks, a group of experts announced on Thursday at a meeting under the Japanese capital’s administration.
According to the Kyodo news agency, the specialists were concerned that the daily COVID-19 case count would surpass 4,500 by August 11 if the spread rate of the infection continued at the same pace. On Wednesday, Tokyo reported some 3,177 new coronavirus cases, which was an all-time high since the start of the pandemic. The Japanese capital renewed its record high for two days in a row.
Meanwhile, Shigeru Omi, who heads a government panel of experts on the COVID-19 pandemic, admitted that he was greatly alarmed over the current epidemiological situation. "I am experiencing a serious sense of crisis. The vaccination of young people is in progress. And apart from [immunization], we have no means to slow down the spread of COVID-19," the specialist stressed. Omi also emphasized that "unless the local population shares the awareness of the crisis, it will bring about a further spread of the infection."
Japan’s daily COVID-19 cases hit a new high on Wednesday, both in the capital (3,177 cases) and across the country (9,576 cases). Since the onset of the pandemic, more than 893,300 people have been infected with the COVID-19 in Japan, while some 15,100 patients have died due to it.
In Tokyo, a state of emergency has been in effect since July 12 amid the worsening epidemiological situation in the capital’s prefecture. In particular, the sale of alcohol in catering facilities has been banned, while the admission of spectators to public events has been restricted. Hence, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are being held from July 23 to August 8 without spectators.