THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
September 14, 2021 at 17:45 JST
The building where the National Police Agency is housed in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
A record-high 250 people infected with COVID-19 died at home or other locations other than hospitals in August in Japan, according to the National Police Agency.
August saw the most such deaths since data on the subject first began being compiled last year, topping the previous high of 132 in January and climbing to about eight times the number in July.
The rise in deaths may be attributable to a spike in the number of patients who have been recuperating at home during Japan's fifth wave of infections.
A total of 158 of the deaths were deemed due to COVID-19, autopsies determined, according to the NPA. The causes of death for the remaining 92 people included pneumonia, other illnesses, accidents and unknown causes.
Tokyo had the highest number of deaths at home and locations other than hospitals of people with the virus, at 112.
There were 23 such deaths in Saitama Prefecture, 22 in Kanagawa Prefecture, 20 in Osaka Prefecture and 19 in Chiba Prefecture.
People in their 50s made up the largest group of deaths, at 74, followed by 41 deaths among people in their 70s.
There were 40 such deaths among people in their 60s, 34 in their 40s, and 28 in their 80s.
A total of 23 people in their 30s were found dead, as well as five in their 20s, and four in their 90s.
One person aged between 10 and 19 also died.
Most of the dead, 218, were discovered in their homes, in nursing homes and at other accommodation facilities or locations.
Thirty-two bodies were found at places that those people went out to, such as in a parked car.
People who had tested positive before their deaths accounted for 132 of the dead, while 118 of those found deceased tested positive at hospitals where they were transferred after their deaths.
The NPA said it had confirmed a total of 817 deaths among cases handled by the police since March 2020 had been those infected with the novel coronavirus.
The number of deaths of people at home or other locations other than hospitals surged to 56 in December 2020, and more than doubled to 132 in January.
April and May saw deaths of 90 to 99 during the fourth wave of the virus, but the number fell in June and July to a range between 30 and 39.
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