There has been a slight increase in Japan's confirmed cases of infection with the novel coronavirus since October, due partly to clusters in locations including Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's advisory panel on measures to combat the virus previously assessed the nationwide infection situation as "flat to a slight increase." On Wednesday, however, it changed its assessment to a "continuing slight increase."
The number of people testing positive has not declined in the Tokyo metropolitan area either.
The medical system needs to be well prepared for a possible surge in infections, given indicators showing that the scarcity of hospital beds has worsened in some areas, it said.
In the week from Oct. 6, a total of 2.84 people out of 100,000 tested positive nationwide for the virus, according to the ministry's tally. The figure rose to 2.95 in the week from Oct. 13; and to 3.21 in the week from Oct. 20.
The number of infected persons per day has been around 100 in Tokyo for successive days since the beginning of October, with increases seen in such prefectures as Aomori, Miyagi, Gunma, Okinawa and Hokkaido, due to cluster infections occurred in entertainment districts, at dining sessions and at workplaces, caused by the increased movement of people.
The advisory panel also released the rate of use of hospital beds as of Oct. 20, with 20.4% in Aomori Prefecture, 22% in Fukushima Prefecture, 25.2% in Tokyo and 45.2% in Okinawa Prefecture.
In these prefectures, 20% or more of the beds for critically ill patients were filled, meeting the criteria for transitioning to Stage 3.
Stage 4 is the most serious level.
"It's important to have a medical and treatment system in place to deal with the spread of the virus, as well as measures to prevent clusters from growing in size and cascading," panel chair Takaji Wakita, who also heads the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, said at a press conference Wednesday.
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