Photo/Illutration People wearing face masks visit Asakusa's Sensoji temple in Tokyo on May 4 during the Golden Week holidays. (AP Photo)

Tokyo confirmed 2,681 new COVID-19 cases on May 6, down 1,212 from a week ago, and the 25th straight day of a week-on-week decline.

The daily average of new infections over the week through May 6 in the capital was 2,842.9, or 58.8 percent of the average for the preceding week.

Five deaths among patients in their 50s or older were also reported in Tokyo.

Patients in their 20s represented the largest age group of new cases, at 633. They were followed by 504 patients in their 30s and 485 in their 40s.

Metropolitan authorities said 327 patients were between the ages of 10 and 19, 259 under the age of 10 and 234 in their 50s.

Additionally, 173 people aged 65 or older tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in Tokyo stood at 16.2 percent, while 3.5 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.

Eight patients had symptoms serious enough to require the use of a ventilator or ECMO heart-lung bypass machines. The figure was a decrease of two from the previous day.

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