Photo/Illutration The Shinjuku district of Tokyo where the metropolitan government building is located (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Tokyo reported more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases for the first time on Feb. 2 as record numbers were reported around the nation. 

In the capital, metropolitan government officials said there were 21,576 fresh cases.

Osaka Prefecture also reported 11,171 cases, a record for a Wednesday, while the main northern island of Hokkaido had a record 3,587 cases. Hyogo Prefecture, next to Osaka Prefecture, also had a record 5,913 cases.

Nationwide, a preliminary count had the total number of fresh cases exceeding 92,000, breaking the record of 84,959 set on Jan. 29.

In Tokyo, the daily average of new cases for the week ending Feb. 2 was 16,467, about 1.5 times the average of the previous week.

There were six deaths linked to COVID-19 in Tokyo.

The metropolitan government also started on Feb. 2 a new measure allowing doctors to diagnose an individual infected with the novel coronavirus based on the symptoms reported even without being tested. There were 589 such cases.

Officials also said that 51.4 percent of hospital beds set aside for COVID-19 patients were in use on Feb. 2, exceeding the 50-percent cutoff point metropolitan officials have set in deciding whether to ask the government to declare a state of emergency for the capital.

There were 30 patients with symptoms serious enough to require the use of a ventilator or other equipment to breathe. The figure was an increase of one from the previous day.

Related News