A rebound in coronavirus infections in the Tokyo metropolitan area is causing concern as the capital reported 714 new cases on Wednesday, exceeding 700 for the first time since May 26.
An advisory body to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on Wednesday warned that "thorough measures are essential to prevent the spread of infections from Tokyo."
According to a Yomiuri Shimbun tally during the one-week period ending Wednesday, the number of new infections per 100,000 people was 25.6 in the capital, surpassing the threshold of 25 or more cases per 100,000 people, one of the benchmarks for Stage 4, the most serious level.
--Affecting younger people
The daily number of new infections in Tokyo exceeded the figure on the same day the previous week for the 11th consecutive day.
According to an analysis by the advisory body, one-week foot traffic in Tokyo since the latest state of emergency ended for the capital on June 20 was up 18% from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and increased by about 30% from 10 p.m. to midnight.
The increases are believed to have contributed to the spread of infections among people in their 10s to 30s, particularly those in their 20s.
Among the newly infected, those under age 40 accounted for around half of the cases in April and May, but the figure rose to 61.6% from June 24 to June 30, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun tally.
People aged 65 and over, who are at a higher risk of developing serious conditions, accounted for 39.8% of cases on Feb. 28, but the figure dropped to below 10% around the end of May. The number stood at 5.9% on Wednesday. It is believed that Japan's inoculation campaign has contributed to this trend.
The advisory body noted that the number of new infections nationwide has moved from being flat to a slight increase.
Cases have risen in Saitama Prefecture, while Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures have seen marginal upticks.
The advisory body is also concerned about a possible rebound of infections in Osaka Prefecture as foot traffic has surged during both the day and night there.
In Okinawa Prefecture, foot traffic has risen at night and the decrease in the number of new infections is slowing down.
Although there has been no significant increase in the number of severely ill COVID-19 patients and hospital bed occupancy rates, "If the number of people needing to be hospitalized rises even if they are in a moderate condition, more hospital beds will be occupied and those who can't be hospitalized could become severely ill," said Takaji Wakita, director general of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and the chair of the advisory body.
--Delta variant spreading
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases and other organizations said Wednesday that an estimated 30% of new infections in the Kanto region involve the highly contagious delta variant, which was first detected in India and is superseding other variants.
The organizations predict that the delta variant will likely account for more than 50% of cases in mid-July and may reach 80% to 90% in August.
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