Aug 22 (NHK) - The number of confirmed new COVID-19 cases in Tokyo on Friday is 258.That's the second day in a row it's over 200.
There have now been over 18,800 cases in the Japanese capital. Officials are urging residents not to travel to other prefectures. Nor should they visit their hometowns for family reunions, or go out to dinner in groups.
Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko said, "The number of confirmed infections is still at a high level. Infections are spreading throughout the city, and to all age groups, including elderly people who are prone to becoming seriously ill."
The governor called on residents to stay on high alert and take every precaution in their daily lives.
Ministers and experts met on Friday to discuss how to fight the virus. They talked about who should get vaccines first once they're available.
The plan is to give priority to medical workers, the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions.
Officials will also consider prioritizing ambulance attendants, health-center officials, pregnant women and nursing-home workers.
The minister in charge of the coronavirus response Nishimura Yasutoshi says the government aims to come up with some guidelines in a few months.
The head of the expert panel noted that the government will have to decide whether to buy vaccines from other countries before their safety or effectiveness has been established.
Omi Shigeru of Japan Community Health Care Organization said, "I think they should try to secure necessary doses of vaccines, even if there's a possibility that none of them will be used in the end."
The government has separately agreed with the UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Pfizer of the US on a supply of vaccines once they're developed.
The government is also backing the efforts of domestic companies. It aims to start distributing vaccines in the first half of next year.
More than 61,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Japan. Over 1,100 have died.
