TOKYO: The daily number of novel coronavirus infection cases confirmed in Japan marked a record high of 1,661 on Thursday, eclipsing the previous high of 1,605 logged on Aug. 7.

New cases hit a record daily high in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, at 236, the eastern prefecture of Kanagawa, at 147, the western prefecture of Hyogo, at 81, and Ibaraki Prefecture in eastern Japan, at 26. The country’s cumulative death toll from the coronavirus rose by 10 to 1,886, with the new fatalities reported in Tokyo and prefectures including Hokkaido and Miyagi in northeastern Japan.

“The number of newly confirmed infection cases is increasing markedly, so we have a strong sense of crisis,” economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is in charge of the government’s coronavirus responses, told a press conference.

According to a Jiji Press tally, the 236 new cases in Hokkaido included 164 in its capital, Sapporo, which was a record daily high for the city. In Sapporo, new infection clusters were confirmed at a municipal junior high school and a vocational school. Hokkaido also confirmed the first infection cluster on a remote island, at a restaurant on the island of Rishiri.

The daily count of new coronavirus infection cases in Hokkaido exceeded 100 for the first time on Nov. 5 and reached 200 on Monday. It stood above 100 for eight days in a row through Thursday.

“If the current situation continues for a week, the local medical system could collapse,” Harumichi Matsuka, head of the Sapporo Medical Association, warned at a press conference.

Meanwhile, Tokyo newly confirmed 393 infection cases on Thursday, with the daily count in the Japanese capital topping 390 for the first time since Aug. 8, when 429 cases were reported. Tokyo saw a figure of over 300 for the second straight day.

People in their 20s accounted for 94 of Thursday’s total in Tokyo, making up the largest group by age, followed by 89 in their 30s, 70 in their 40s and 48 in their 50s, according to the metropolitan government. People aged 65 or over accounted for 45.

The number of seriously ill patients in Tokyo rose by one from Wednesday to 39.

JIJI Press