Society

Over 120 people died outside hospitals in Japan after COVID-19 infections

Jan 07 (Japan Times) - A total of 122 people in Japan died at places other than medical institutions between March and December 2020 after contracting the novel coronavirus, police data showed Wednesday.

By prefecture, Tokyo had the largest number of such deaths at 36, followed by Osaka at 25 and Hyogo at 11, according to National Police Agency data.

By age group, there were 39 such deaths among those in their 70s, followed by 23 cases in their 60s, 22 in their 80s, 20 in their 50s, nine in their 90s, six in their 40s and two in their 30s. No such deaths were discovered among those in their 20s or younger. There was one case where the age of the person was unknown.

Of the total, 89 were male and 33 were female.

The monthly death toll stood at 10 or less from March until November, except in April, which saw 21 deaths. But it rose sharply to 56 in December.

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A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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