Japan sess 206,943 new COVID-19 cases amid 8th wave

People wearing protective masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk near a landmark lion statue of a department store that also wears a mask in the Ginza shipping area of Tokyo on July 28, 2022. (SHUJI KAJIYAMA / AP)

TOKYO / HANOI / MANILA / SINGAPORE – Japan's health ministry and local governments said that 206,943 people had been newly infected with the COVID-19 virus nationwide, according to the latest figures released Wednesday, as the country grapples with an eighth wave of infections.

This is an increase of 16,100 new cases from the same day a week earlier and marks the first time the national tally has topped the 200,000-mark since Aug. 25, the data showed.

Of the total infections, Tokyo confirmed 21,186 new cases, with the figure for the capital rising week-on-week for a 16th straight day, and up by 2,374 cases the same time a week ago, the ministry said.

The figure also exceeded 20,000 new infections in Tokyo for a second consecutive day, according to the data, with the capital on Wednesday also reporting 20 COVID-19 related deaths.

The number of patients considered severely ill and needing the assistance of ventilators or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines in medical care facilities or intensive care units (ICUs) in Tokyo, increased by seven on Tuesday, to total 44, the ministry also said.

Elsewhere in Japan, Osaka Prefecture reported 12,225 new COVID-19 cases, Kanagawa 11,833 new infections, Aichi 12,894 cases and Saitama Prefecture logged 10,989 infections, the ministry and local officials reported.

Tottori Prefecture in southern Honshu, meanwhile, recorded 1,582 new cases of the virus, which was the highest number for the prefecture, the least populous in Japan, since the outbreak of the virus here.

The ministry said there were 530 people considered severely ill nationwide and receiving emergency respiratory assistance or otherwise being treated in ICUs.

The number of severely ill patients climbed by 37 compared to a day earlier, the data showed, with the daily number of nationwide COVID-19 related deaths reaching 296.

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A man shops for face masks in Divisoria, a local shopping district in Manila on May 17, 2022. (JAM STA ROSA / AFP)

Philippines

The Philippines reported 823 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 4,058,465.

The Department of Health (DOH) said the number of active cases dropped to 16,896, while 15 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, taking the country's death toll to 65,142.

Metro Manila, the capital region with over 13 million people, tallied 339 new cases.

Singapore Airlines stewardesses walk past a giant lollipop candy display at Changi International Airport in Singapore on April 1, 2022, as Singapore reopened its land and air borders to travelers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. (ROSLOAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Singapore

Singapore reported 1,093 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total tally to 2,192,690.

A total of 108 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with six of them held in intensive care units, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.

No new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Wednesday, leaving the total death toll unchanged at 1,710.

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A man passes walks past a billboard on the coronavirus in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec 4, 2021. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Vietnam

Vietnam recorded 200 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, down 4 from Tuesday, according to its ministry of health.

All the new cases were locally transmitted, said the ministry.

The new infections brought the total tally to 11,523,567. The Southeast Asian country reported a new death from the pandemic in the capital Hanoi on Wednesday, bringing the total fatalities to 43,181.