File photo of people wearing protective face masks walk past at a Japanese izakaya pub alley, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Tokyo January 5, 2021. – Reuters pic
TOKYO, Jan 22 – Tokyo recorded its highest number of daily Covid-19 infections for the fourth consecutive day today as the Omicron variant continued to spread rapidly.
The capital city had 11,227 new coronavirus cases, the local government said, a day after reinstatement of curbs on mobility and business activity that are set to run until February 13.
The case count jumped nearly 2.5 times from 4,561 lodged a week before and was higher than 9,699 confirmed cases today.
Three people died of Covid-19 and 12 patients were in serious condition today, the Tokyo government also said.
The occupancy rate of hospital beds for coronavirus patients in Tokyo rose to 34.3 per cent. A rise to 50 per cent would warrant a state of emergency with more severe restrictions, local officials have said.
Osaka prefecture announced it had 7,375 infections today, hitting a record for a second straight day. – Reuters