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Japan coronavirus death toll tops 4,000

Passersby wearing protective face masks walk at Shibuya crossing after the government declared the second state of emergency for the capital and some prefectures, amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan. (Reuters)
Passersby wearing protective face masks walk at Shibuya crossing after the government declared the second state of emergency for the capital and some prefectures, amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan. (Reuters)
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09 Jan 2021 11:01:56 GMT9
09 Jan 2021 11:01:56 GMT9

TOKYO: The death toll from the novel coronavirus in Japan reached 4,035 on Saturday, when 59 new fatal cases were confirmed.

Of the newly confirmed deaths, 10 were in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, eight in Tokyo, and five in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. In Hokkaido, four people were confirmed dead, with cumulative coronavirus fatalities in the northernmost Japan prefecture reaching 500.

The pace of growth in the nation’s coronavirus death toll is accelerating. It took less than 20 days for the number to top 4,000 after exceeding 3,000 on Dec. 22, 2020. The death toll rose above 1,000 on July 20 and surpassed 2,000 about four months later, on Nov. 22, and topped 3,000 a month later.

The number of infection cases newly confirmed in the country totaled 7,787 on Saturday, standing above 7,000 for the third consecutive day. As of the day, the number of coronavirus patients in severe condition came to a record 827, up by one from Friday, according to the health ministry.

In Tokyo, 2,268 people were newly confirmed positive for the virus, with the daily count in the Japanese capital exceeding 2,000 for the third straight day. Of them, 266 are aged 65 or over. The number of seriously ill patients in Tokyo under the metropolitan government’s standards remained at a record high of 129.

The daily count of newly confirmed infection cases hit a record high in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, at 999, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, at 518, and Chiba, at 477. The combined daily count in Tokyo and the three prefectures neighboring the capital, where the Japanese government’s fresh coronavirus state of emergency took effect Friday, topped 4,000 on Saturday, accounting for more than 50 pct of the national total for the day.

Osaka’s daily infection tally was second highest, at 647. Neighboring Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures confirmed 126 and 324 new cases, respectively. The governments of the three western prefectures on Saturday requested the central government to issue a fresh coronavirus emergency declaration also for them.

Daily infection cases also hit the highest level in nine other prefectures, including Shizuoka and Gifu, both central Japan, at 116 and 105, respectively.

JIJI Press

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