Photo/Illutration A pedestrian crossing in Tokyo on April 22 (AP Photo)

The Tokyo metropolitan government lowered its COVID-19 status alert from its highest Level 4 to Level 3 on April 28 for the first time in three and a half months as new cases the same day continued on a downward trend.

It reported 5,394 fresh cases, down 1,319 from a week ago, which marked the 17th straight week-on-week decline.

The daily average of new cases over the week through April 28 in Tokyo came to 5,050.6, or 85.5 percent of the average for the preceding week, metropolitan government officials said.

Four fatalities among patients in their 80s to 90s were also reported in the capital.

Patients in their 30s represented the largest age group of new cases, at 992. They were followed by 965 patients in their 20s and 936 in their 40s.

Children under the age of 10 accounted for 912 cases. Authorities said 725 patients were aged between 10 and 19, and 444 in their 50s. Additionally, 299 people aged 65 or older tested positive.

Three patients were diagnosed as infected with the novel coronavirus without being tested.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in Tokyo stood at 21.1 percent, while 4.1 percent of hospital beds for severely ill patients were filled, officials said.

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

The Tokyo metropolitan government defines seriously ill patients as those requiring ventilators or ECMO heart-lung bypass machines. Cases in that category numbered 13 on April 28, down two from the previous day.

As of April 27, the weekly average of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo stood at 5,094.7, or 84.8 percent of the average for the preceding week.