TOKYO: Japan’s daily tally of new coronavirus cases came to 3,156 on Sunday, exceeding 3,000 for the sixth consecutive day.

The number of severely ill patients with the coronavirus increased by three from the previous day to 714, according to the health ministry.

The total number of fatalities among infected people across the country climbed by 60, with the cumulative sum coming to 3,645.

In Tokyo, 816 people were newly found positive for the coronavirus, the highest Sunday total.

The number of severely ill patients under Tokyo’s own standards increased by seven from the previous day to 101, topping 100 for the first time since a state of emergency declared by the Japanese government over the epidemic was lifted in May.

The newly infected people in the Japanese capital on Sunday included 214 in their 20s, 182 in their 30s, 123 in their 50s and 116 in their 40s. Those aged 65 or older, who have higher risks of developing severe symptoms, accounted for 96 of the total.

The number of hospital beds secured by the Tokyo metropolitan government for severely ill COVID-19 patients stand at 220.

“If patients with severe symptoms increase further, we may start to see cases in which we find it difficult to take responses,” a metropolitan government official said. “We hope people will refrain from going out as much as possible, by switching to teleworking, for example.”

In Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, the daily COVID-19 tally came to 253 on Sunday, standing below 300 for the third straight day. The daily total of new infections in Hyogo Prefecture, also in western Japan, came to 98, slipping below 100 for the first time in 13 days.

JIJI Press