Photo/Illutration A display in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo reminds pedestrians that a COVID-19 state of emergency is in place for the capital. (Tatsuya Shimada)

Fresh cases of COVID-19 continued to edge close to the 5,000 mark in the capital on Aug. 7 as the Tokyo Olympics began winding down. Numbers nationwide were high, too.

Tokyo metropolitan government officials reported 4,566 new daily cases, the second highest figure on record, and the fourth straight day with more than 4,000 cases.

One hundred and fifty COVID-19 patients in the capital were diagnosed with symptoms serious enough to require the use of a ventilator or other equipment to breathe. The figure represented an increase of nine from the previous day.

There were four more deaths from the illness in Tokyo.

Osaka in western Japan reported 1,123 new cases, marking the fifth straight day for the prefecture to report more than 1,000 cases. Osaka also confirmed three more fatalities.

The southernmost prefecture of Okinawa reported 548 new cases, the most for a Saturday and its fourth highest daily figure.

Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo’s northern neighbor, reported a record 1,449 new cases on Aug. 7, the fifth straight day there of more than 1,000 cases.

In Tokyo, the daily average of new cases for the week until Aug. 7 was 3,893, a 33.3-percent increase over the previous seven-day period.

Of the latest cases, 1,467 patients were in their 20s, 982 in their 30s, 675 in their 40s and 543 in their 50s. Officials said 418 patients were aged between 10 and 19 and 156, a mere 3.4 percent of the total, were 65 or older.

The Closing Ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics will be held Aug. 8, heralding the start of the Paralympic Games later in the month.

Related News