Tokyo, Aug 19: Amid a resurgence, Japan recorded more than 6 million new Covid-19 cases in the past month, with more than 200 daily deaths on nine of the 11 days, which has further strained its medical system fueled by the seventh wave of the pandemic.
The country logged a record daily high of 255,534 new cases on Thursday, the second time that the number exceeded 250,000 in a single day since the pandemic hit the country in early 2020, reports Xinhua news agency. A total of 287 people died, bringing the total fatality toll to 36,302.
Japan reported 1,395,301 cases in the week from August 8-14, the highest number of new cases in the world for the fourth week in a row, followed by South Korea and the US, local media Kyodo News reported, citing the latest weekly update of the World Health Organization (WHO). Many local residents with mild infections are quarantined at home, while those reporting serious symptoms are struggling with hospitalization.
According to Japan’s Health Ministry, more than 1.54 million infected people nationwide were quarantined at home as of August 10, the highest number since the outbreak was first reported.
