TOKYO: A total of 2,201 new cases of novel coronavirus infection were confirmed in Japan on Wednesday, with the nationwide daily count topping 2,000 for the first time.

The country appears to be in the middle of a “third wave” of coronavirus infections. The daily coronavirus tally hit a record high in each of Tokyo and four other prefectures on the day. After this summer’s second wave receded, the nationwide tally temporarily hovered around several hundreds but rose above 1,000 earlier this month.

On Wednesday, the number of new cases in Tokyo stood at 493, eclipsing the previous record high of 472, logged on Aug. 1. Daily cases also hit a new high in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, at 126, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, at 226, and the central prefectures of Nagano and Shizuoka, at 30 and 87, respectively.

Hokkaido confirmed 233 new cases. The government of the northernmost prefecture on Tuesday requested residents in its capital, Sapporo, to avoid nonurgent outings, as well as trips outside of the city. Hokkaido residents in areas other than Sapporo were asked not to make nonurgent trips to the city.

In Osaka Prefecture, 273 new infection cases were confirmed on Wednesday, marking the second-highest level for the western prefecture. The daily count came to 103 in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture, standing above 100 for the second straight day.

The nationwide death toll linked to the virus increased by 14 to 1,947.

According to the Tokyo metropolitan government, a record 77 cases were confirmed on Wednesday among people aged 65 or older, who have higher risks of developing severe symptoms. The number of new cases among those in their 40s to 50s also hit a record high, of 155.

Speaking to reporters on the day, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike cited an increase in coronavirus tests as a reason for recent rises in daily cases.

“The number of people testing positive is expected to increase further,” Koike said. She pointed to the need to prevent a rise in severely ill patients.

The number of severely ill patients in Tokyo fell by three from Tuesday to 39.

Among the new cases in Kanagawa, 114 were in Yokohama, the capital of the prefecture. Infection routes are unclear for 65 of them. “We could see infected people anywhere now,” senior city official Kazushi Funayama told a press conference.

In the city of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture, a total of 26 workers at two eating and drinking establishments with hospitality services have been found positive for the coronavirus.

Five nurses of Shizuoka Saiseikai General Hospital in the city of Shizuoka, the prefecture’s capital, have tested positive.

Meanwhile, three Kansai Electric Power Co. employees at the firm’s Mihama nuclear power plant in the central prefecture of Fukui tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infected people linked to the plant to seven. The Fukui prefectural government is working to identify the infectious routes.

JIJI Press