Photo/Illutration An aerial view of central Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Tokyo on Aug. 2 confirmed 30,842 fresh cases of COVID-19, down 751 from the previous Tuesday.

It marks the second straight day for the daily count to be lower than it was the previous week, but the figure is still running far higher than in any of the previous six waves.

Metropolitan officials also confirmed nine related deaths involving patients over the age of 60.

The weekly average of new infection cases per day until Aug. 1 was 32,009, which was 110.9 percent of the previous week’s figure.

Patients in their 40s made up the most-affected age group with 5,406 cases, followed by 5,359 in their 20s and 5,254 in their 30s.

Officials said the occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in Tokyo remained high, at 55 percent.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for severely ill patients was 29.8 percent, close to the metropolitan government’s 30-to-40-percent criteria for weighing whether to ask the central government to issue a state of emergency for the capital.

In Kumamoto, prefectural authorities declared Aug. 2 they are taking stronger steps to fight the BA.5 subvariant.

It was the first prefecture to make a formal declaration over the subvariant. The move allows it to receive assistance in the form of personnel and advice from the central government.

Kumamoto officials said the occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients on Aug. 1 was 66 percent, and warned that its health care system has become overstrained.

The prefectural government is asking residents to cooperate by taking stronger anti-virus measures, such as maintaining proper ventilation in their living spaces, working from home and getting vaccinated before traveling.

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