Japan reports record high COVID-19 cases as 7th wave sweeps nation

Tokyo [Japan], July 21 (ANI/Xinhua): Japan on Thursday reported 186,246 new daily COVID-19 cases, as cases hit a record high nationwide for the second straight day, with infections in the capital Tokyo jumping to the highest ever daily tally.
The latest nationwide infection count compares to 152,536 cases reported on Wednesday.
The nation is fully in the grip of the seventh wave of infections, as the highly-transmissible BA.5 Omicron sub-variant of the virus is showing no signs of letting up, with Osaka and Fukuoka prefectures also reporting record high numbers of new daily infections Thursday.
The western prefecture of Osaka reported 22,047 new infections, while Fukuoka, in Japan's southwest, logged 10,752 cases, exceeding 10,000 new daily infections for the first time.
On Thursday, 35 out of Japan's 47 prefectures reported record high numbers of new infections, with five more regions than the previous day, as the government grapples to ensure the fourth vaccination for medical professionals and the elderly as quickly as possible.
The government has also called for younger people as well to receive their third jab at the earliest juncture possible, in an effort to combat the virus' rampant spread nationwide as Japan's holiday season swings into gear. The Tokyo metropolitan government, meanwhile, reported 31,878 new cases of the virus, which was the first time the capital has seen infections top the 30,000-mark.
The previous record in Tokyo was 21,562 infections reported on February 2 during the peak of Japan's sixth wave of infections.
According to official figures, the number of infections in the capital Thursday rocketed by 5,216 from a week ago, which is 1.9 times the total reported this time last week.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said the capital is "making full efforts to ramp up its medical system," urging residents in the capital to get booster shots and take other antiviral measures.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said there is a "need to watch the impact on the medical system with maximum caution."
Japan's top government spokesperson, however, maintained the government's stance that there would be no requests for the public to restrict their movements. Leading virologists have expressed concerns that as the government has eased its previously ultra-strict border controls and has shown no indication of accepting requests from prefectures to issue states of emergency, the virus could wreak havoc on a still-fragile economy in ways not seen before. (ANI/Xinhua)