Society

Tokyo and Osaka report record high COVID-19 caseloads

Jan 25 (Japan Times) - Tokyo reported record high 12,813 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, as the central government prepared to put 18 more prefectures on virus quasi-emergency measures amid the rapid spread of the omicron variant.

With the addition of more prefectures, 34 of the nation's 47 prefectures will now be under the COVID-19 restrictions.

Osaka Prefecture also reported a record high of 8,612 new cases on Tuesday, while ten new deaths were confirmed.

The seven-day average of new cases in Tokyo came to 9,675, compared to 3,858.6 a week before.

The number of severely ill patients under Tokyo's own criteria rose by two from Monday to 14, while no deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in the capital came to 39.8%.

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