TOKYO: The daily number of novel coronavirus infection cases confirmed in Japan hit a record high of 4,774 on Tuesday, topping 4,000 for the second time.

The previous daily record was 4,520, marked on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the number of patients with severe symptoms of the COVID-19 disease blamed on the virus rose by 40 from the previous day to a record 771, while 47 COVID-19 deaths were newly reported in the nation.

The daily count of newly confirmed infection cases was the second highest in Tokyo, at 1,278. New cases hit a record high in Saitama Prefecture, at 369, Chiba Prefecture, at 261, and Kanagawa Prefecture, at 622. The Japanese government is expected to declare a fresh state of emergency over the coronavirus for Tokyo and the three prefectures neighboring the Japanese capital later this week.

Daily infection cases in Tokyo topped 1,000 for the second time on record, after hitting the highest level of 1,337 on Thursday. The number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients rose by three to a record 111 in the capital. Of the people confirmed positive in Tokyo on Tuesday, those in their 20s made up the largest group, at 356, followed by 256 in their 30s and 205 in their 40s. Those aged 65 or over accounted for 158.

On Tuesday, new cases also hit a record high in the central prefectures of Gifu and Mie, the western prefecture of Wakayama, and the southwestern prefectures of Nagasaki and Miyazaki.

JIJI Press