THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
May 4, 2021 at 13:47 JST
A medical worker collects a sample inside a booth of the PCR test center at Narita Airport in November 2020. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Japan on May 2 reported 1,084 COVID-19 patients in serious condition, breaking the previous day’s record by 34, as well as 48 deaths from the disease, the health ministry said May 3.
Across the nation, 4,470 new novel coronavirus infections were confirmed as of 8:30 p.m. on May 3, dropping below 5,000 for the first time in three days.
Tokushima Prefecture, however, reported a record 60 new COVID-19 cases.
The health ministry also announced the death of a man in his 50s who was quarantined at an accommodation facility after being confirmed infected when he entered Japan at Narita Airport from India on April 26.
He initially showed no symptoms but developed a fever and was coughing on April 30. He did not respond to a message about a regular health check on the morning of May 3, so a medical staff member visited his room and found him unconscious.
The man was transferred to a medical institution, where he was confirmed dead at 11:10 a.m.
The cause of death has not been determined. The ministry did not disclose the man’s nationality, residence or whether he had any underlying conditions.
It was the second death in quarantine of a person who had tested positive at the airport.
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