Game officials recording 58 positive cases as of July 2
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)The bubble to control Covid-19 cases at the Olympic Athlete’s Village in Tokyo has already “broken” and could potentially spread infections to the general populace, a public health expert has said.
Around 11,000 athletes will be housed in the Tokyo Bay hub for the Games, which begin on Friday, along with thousands of staff.
A number of athletes, officials and journalists have already tested positive for Covid-19, with Game officials recording 58 positive cases as of July 2.
Discussing the rise in cases, Kenji Shibuya, the former director of the Population Health at King’s College London, said “it’s obvious that the bubble system is kind of broken”.
"My biggest concern is, of course, there will be a cluster of infections in the village or some of the accommodation and interaction with local people."
Insufficient testing at the border and the impossibility of controlling people’s movements mean that the Games could exacerbate the spread of the infectious Delta variant of the virus, he added.
New Covid-19 cases in Tokyo reached 1,410 on Saturday, a near six month high.
Just 33 per cent of people in Japan have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, among the lowest rate among wealthy countries, according to a Reuters tracker.
It comes after Coco Gauff became the latest star to pull out of the Tokyo Olympics after it was revealed she had tested positive for coronavirus.
The 17-year-old announced her withdrawal from the Games on Twitter, writing: "I’m disappointed to share the news that I have tested positive for Covid and won’t be able to play in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
"It has always been a dream of mine to represent the USA at the Olympics, and I hope there will be many more chances for me to make this come true in the future."
