TOKYO: Japan confirmed 2,606 new cases of novel coronavirus infection on Thursday, with the daily count standing above 2,000 for the third straight day.

New infection cases in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, came to 616, marking its fourth-largest single-day figure on record and the highest since 629 on Jan. 16. Osaka’s tally surpassed Tokyo’s for the third successive day.

In Hyogo Prefecture, which borders Osaka, new cases totaled 199. Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, confirmed 133 new infection cases, with its daily count exceeding 100 for three days in a row.

On Thursday, the Japanese government decided to implement pre-emergency countermeasures in some areas of Osaka, Hyogo and Miyagi prefectures in order to prevent their coronavirus infection situations from deteriorating to a point requiring the declaration of a state of emergency.

In Tokyo, new infection cases stood at 475 Thursday, the highest since 491 on Feb. 10. Tokyo’s daily figure averaged 372.3 for the week through Thursday, up 16.4 pct from the preceding week’s 319.9. Of people found with the virus in Tokyo Thursday, 114 are in their 20s, 93 in their 30s, 64 in their 50s and 55 in their 40s. Those aged 65 or over accounted for 87, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government.

The number of infected people with severe symptoms under the Tokyo government’s criteria decreased by one from Wednesday to 44.

New COVID-19 fatalities totaled 18 across the country, while the number of severely ill patients fell by two to 380 as of Thursday.

Jiji Press