Japan's ninth COVID wave may be underway, expert says

Jun 27 (NHK) - The Japanese government's chief coronavirus adviser says a ninth wave of infections may have started in the country, and additional vaccinations and other measures are needed to curb the number of deaths.

Omi Shigeru, who heads the government advisory panel, spoke to reporters on Monday after exchanging views on the COVID-19 situation in Japan with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

Omi said recent data from medical institutions show the number of infections is trending slowly higher nationwide, with some regional differences.

He said it is possible the ninth wave has already started, though it's unclear how the situation will change going forward.

Omi stressed the importance of protecting elderly people and others with a high risk of becoming seriously ill and reducing the number of deaths.

He suggested local governments should continue thorough anti-infection measures at nursing facilities for the elderly. He also advised elderly people to consider receiving a sixth vaccination as immunity weakens over time.

Omi referred to Britain as an example of what could happen in Japan. He said the number of deaths has gradually fallen as Britain went through repeated waves of cases and appears to have reached an "endemic" phase.

He predicts that the situation in Japan will also shift to an endemic phase, where the disease repeatedly occurs within a community but only at a certain level, if the number of deaths in the ninth wave is smaller than in the eighth.

Omi said the fatality rate in Japan appears to remain much the same, and the number of new infections must be closely watched.

He said an increase in cases to a certain extent had been expected when the coronavirus was downgraded to the same category as seasonal flu in May.

He said it is important to keep society going while trying to reduce the number of deaths.

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