Japan on Friday confirmed 869 new daily COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) cases, bringing the nation's cumulative total to 66,638 infections.

In a preemptive move to tackle the possibility of an influenza epidemic hitting in winter alongside a possible second wave of the novel coronavirus virus, the government said at a meeting convened to outline measures to tackle the virus that the testing capacity for COVID-19 would be significantly increased.

One of the focuses of the expanded testing protocol will be on those working in the healthcare system who under the government's plan will be the target off mass-testing, as rising infections have been noticed in health care providers, such as those working at nursing homes.

Those testing positive for the virus but displaying no symptoms or only showing mild symptoms, will be asked to self-isolate at home or at designated facilities, under the government's revised guidelines, so that those with more severe symptoms can be given priority when it comes to allocating hospital beds and medical staff resources.

If Japan is to be hit by a double-blow of an influenza outbreak and a second wave of novel coronavirus infections during winter, the government wants to ensure that enough medical facilities are available and the system does not buckle.

At the meeting, it was also announced that the government aims to have secured by the first half of 2021 enough COVID-19 vaccinations for all of the country's citizens.

The vaccines will be purchased from reserve funds from the budget of the current fiscal year to March 2021, the government said.

Earlier this month, the Japanese government said it had agreed with British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc. to receive 120 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed with the University of Oxford.

Similarly, Japan has agreed with Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE to receive 120 million doses of their potential vaccine, providing its development proves successful.

As for COVID-19 cases on a prefectural basis, Tokyo still remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with 226 new cases reported Friday, up slightly from the 250 infections reported a day earlier.

The capital's cumulative total now stands at 20,322 COVID-19 infections, with the Tokyo metropolitan government a day earlier saying that it will extend a request for establishments serving alcohol, such as clubs, bars, restaurants and karaoke parlors to close their doors earlier than normal.

The request will be extended until Sept. 15, the local government said, in a bid to curb the further spread of the virus in the capital, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said.

The earlier 10:00 p.m. business closure request was set to expire at the end of August, but the metropolitan government has opted to extend it for establishments in Tokyo's 23 wards, amid the rising COVID-19 cases at the establishments in question.

The metropolitan government said it may well allocate 150,000 yen (1,400 U.S. dollars) to business operators that agree to their establishments complying with the extension request.

The extension comes as the capital has seen a resurgence in novel coronavirus cases since July, with a disproportionately high number of cases detected at places serving alcohol, including clubs in downtown entertainment districts, as well as at establishments where people gather to eat and drink in close proximity together.

Tokyo has been hit by a resurgence of infections since July, with the daily number of new cases reaching a record 472 on Aug. 1 and many infections have occurred at nightlife establishments or while people have been dining out.

As for hard-hit Osaka Prefecture in western Japan, new daily COVID-19 cases rose by 106 officials reported Friday to total of 8,339 infections, while Tokyo's neighboring prefecture of Kanagawa reported 75 more infections to total 4,741.

Nationwide, the death toll from the pneumonia-causing virus stand at a total of 1,273 people, according to the latest official figures released Friday evening.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)