Photo/Illutration Iwate Governor Takuya Tasso and Morioka Mayor Hiroaki Tanifuji hold a news conference at the Iwate prefectural government building on July 29. (Shoko Mifune)

Japan on July 29 confirmed a record 1,264 new patients infected with the novel coronavirus, including two cases in Iwate, the last prefecture with a clean record during the monthslong pandemic.

The single-day nationwide tally as of 11:20 p.m. exceeded 1,000 for the first time, and 10 prefectures marked record numbers of new infection cases.

Four deaths from COVID-19 were confirmed on July 29, bringing the total to 1,006.

One of the new infection cases in Iwate Prefecture was a man in his 40s from the prefectural capital of Morioka who had camped with three friends in the same tent in the Kanto region.

One of his friends tested positive for the virus, so the Morioka camper also took the test, according to the prefectural government.

“Iwate Prefecture is no longer an exception,” Iwate Governor Takuya Tasso said at a news conference.

Osaka Prefecture added 221 new infection cases, topping 200 for the first time. It was also the prefecture’s second straight record daily high.

The infection routes for about 70 percent of new cases were unclear. Sixty-seven percent of the new patients were under 40 years old, while 18 percent were 60 or older.

The average rate of positive tests in Osaka Prefecture over the past week reached 10.1 percent, exceeding 10 percent for the first time since the end of April.

Other daily records for new infections were: 167 in Aichi Prefecture; 101 in Fukuoka Prefecture; 44 in Okinawa Prefecture; 41 in Kyoto Prefecture; 30 in Gifu Prefecture; 16 in Tochigi Prefecture; 10 in Mie Prefecture; and seven in Tokushima Prefecture.

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