People wearing face masks walk through the Shibuya scramble crossing in Tokyo, Japan, Jan 21, 2021. (ZHANG XIAOYU / XINHUA)
TOKYO / SINGAPORE / MANILA – Japan's daily COVID-19-related deaths surpassed 300 for the third consecutive day, amid a strain on the country's medical system fueled by the seventh wave of infections.
Japan reported 303 new coronavirus-related deaths over the last 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 40,258, exceeding 40,000 for the first time. Meanwhile, the country logged 149,906 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number to 19,117,599
Japan reported 303 new coronavirus-related deaths over the last 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 40,258, exceeding 40,000 for the first time. Meanwhile, the country logged 149,906 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number to 19,117,599.
Despite the fast-spreading new wave of infections across the country, the government has not imposed any anti-virus restrictions. Moreover, Japan will raise its daily entry cap on arrivals to 50,000 from the current 20,000 from Sept. 7 in a further easing of strict COVID-19 border controls, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday.
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Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said on Wednesday that although the number of newly confirmed cases has begun to decrease nationally, the COVID-19 infection level remains high and the hospital bed occupancy rate hovers at a high level.
In terms of medical treatment, there have been many cases of difficulty in emergency transportation and the absence of medical staff, which has caused a great burden on the general medical system as well, the ministry added.
According to Kyodo News, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that in the week from Aug 22 to 28, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan reached 1,258,772, the highest number in the world for six consecutive weeks. During the same period, Japan's death toll from the coronavirus increased by 23 percent from the previous week to 1,990, ranking second in the world after the United States.
Residents queue for COVID-19 vaccination in Marikina City, suburban Manila, Philippines, on Aug 6, 2021.
(TED ALJIBE / AFP)
Philippines
The Philippines reported 3,767 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,883,957.
The Department of Health (DOH) said the number of active cases fell to 22,259, while 50 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, taking the death toll to 61,864.
Metro Manila, the capital region with a population of over 13 million people, tallied 1,016 new cases.
The Philippines reported its highest COVID-19 single-day tally of 39,004 new cases on Jan 15. The country, with a population of around 110 million, has fully vaccinated over 72.5 million people.
A vendor wearing a protective facemask amid fears about the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus serves a customer at a fruit stall in Singapore on May 8, 2020. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)
Singapore
Singapore reported 2,044 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total tally to 1,841,288.
Of the new cases, 234 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 1,810 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the ministry of health.
Among the PCR-confirmed cases, 205 were local transmissions and 29 were imported cases. Among the ART-confirmed cases with mild symptoms and assessed low risk, there were 1,665 local transmissions and 145 imported cases.
A total of 245 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 11 cases in intensive care units.
One death was reported from COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 1,593, the ministry said.