Society

COVID cases in Japan trend upward

Apr 14 (NHK) - New coronavirus cases are trending slightly upward in Japan. Some prefectures have even recorded daily highs.

Authorities on Wednesday confirmed nearly 60,000 new cases nationwide. That's 28 hundred more than a week ago.

A panel of experts reported that cases have risen for three straight weeks.

They said the nationwide tally for the seven days through Tuesday was up from a week earlier, by several percentage points.

The figures were almost unchanged in Tokyo and other places. But the numbers were up sharply in areas that had been relatively unaffected.

In spite of the uptick, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said he saw no need to re-impose quasi-emergency restrictions.

Kishida said, "The occupancy rate of hospital beds for general COVID patients and seriously ill patients remains low. Eighty-five percent of elderly people who are at high risk of developing serious symptoms have already received their third vaccine shot."

Kishida added that his government will continue to support the medical system while reviving social and economic activities in the country.

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