The cumulative number of coronavirus infections confirmed in Japan has reached 400,003 on Thursday.
The number includes 712 infected people aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship last year.
A total of 2,576 new cases, including those found at airport quarantine stations, were confirmed in Tokyo and 45 other prefectures on Thursday. Shimane was the only prefecture among all 47 where no new infections were reported.
The nation's COVID-19 fatalities for the day totaled 104. According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the number of seriously ill patients fell by five from the previous day to 892.
The cumulative number of coronavirus cases reached 100,000 on Oct. 29 last year, 9-1/2 months after the nation's first case was confirmed on Jan. 16.
But the number exceeded the 200,000 mark just 53 days later on Dec. 21. It was only 23 days later, Jan. 13, that the number exceeded 300,000, showing the pace of the spread has not changed. As many as 100,000 people were infected with the virus during the past 22 days.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
