Photo/Illutration A solitary pedestrian wearing a face mask as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus crosses a bridge in Tokyo on March 25. (AP Photo)

Tokyo confirmed 9,520 fresh cases of COVID-19 on March 30, up 3,090 from the previous Wednesday, marking a week-on-week increase for the fifth straight day.

The latest figure was the highest since March 22 when pre-emergency measures were lifted.

The daily average of new cases over the week through March 30 in the capital came to 7,622.6, or 121.1 percent of the average for the preceding week.

Tokyo metropolitan government officials also reported 10 deaths of COVID-19 patients in their 60s or older and one death of a boy below 10 who had an underlying disease and tested positive after he died.

Of the 9,520 new cases, 123 were diagnosed as being infected with the novel coronavirus without being tested.

People in their 20s formed the largest age group of new patients at 1,831, followed by 1,790 patients aged 9 or younger, 1,577 in their 30s, 1,540 in their 40s, and 1,393 between the ages of 10 and 19.

Additionally, 418 people aged 65 or older tested positive.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in Tokyo was 25.5 percent, while 11.9 percent of hospital beds for severely ill patients were filled, officials said.

The metropolitan government said it would consider asking the central government to issue another state of emergency for Tokyo if the occupancy rate of beds for seriously ill patients hits between 30 and 40 percent.

The Tokyo metropolitan government defines seriously ill patients as those requiring ventilators or ECMO heart-lung bypass machines.

Their number dropped by one from March 29 to 32.

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