Society

Japan records over 100,000 new cases on Friday

Jul 15 (NHK) - Japan's health experts are warning of an explosive increase in the number of new coronavirus cases in the country.

The daily tally topped 100,000 on Friday for the first time since early February. That's more than double the number recorded a week ago. About one-fifth of the cases reported on Friday were in Tokyo.

Some hospitals are busy responding to the spike. Fifty patients with a fever visited a clinic near Tokyo on Friday morning, and almost half of them tested positive for the virus.

A doctor at the clinic said, "Things have changed drastically in the last 2 weeks. We are very concerned about the situation."

Experts blame the surge on the Omicron subvariant BA.5, which is believed to be highly infectious.

They say it's not clear whether the subvariant is more prone to triggering severe symptoms.

Tateda Kazuhiro, a professor from Toho University said, "An explosive increase in infections would lead to a rise in the number of serious cases. We need to monitor the situation very carefully."

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said earlier in the day that he does not intend to introduce new restrictions right now.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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