A total of 287 people died, bringing the total number of deaths to 36,302.
Japan reported 1,395,301 cases in the week of August 8-14, the highest number of new cases in the world for the fourth consecutive week, followed by South Korea and the US, local media Kyodo News reported, citing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest weekly update.
Many local residents with mild infections are isolated at home, while those reporting severe symptoms are struggling to be hospitalized.
According to Japan’s Health Ministry, more than 1.54 million infected people nationwide have been isolated at home as of August 10, the highest number since the outbreak was first reported.
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Hospital bed occupancy rate is increasingThe country’s public broadcaster NHK said, citing government statistics that as of Monday, the COVID bed occupancy rate was 91% in Kanagawa Prefecture, 80% in Okinawa, Aichi and Shiga, and 70% in Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Shizuoka.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has announced that their COVID-19 bed occupancy rate is around 60% which seems less severe. However, many local health workers get infected or become close friends, leading to shortage of medical staff.
Despite the severity of the seventh wave and the spike in new cases, The Japanese government has not adopted stricter containment measures.
The recent Obon holiday also saw a large influx of tourists – congested highways, packed Shinkansen bullet trains and domestic airline occupancy rates back to around 80% of pre-COVID levels there.
Source: IANS
