TOKYO: Japan newly confirmed 15,753 COVID-19 infection cases on Saturday, marking a single-day high for the fourth straight day.

Across the country, 13 new deaths were confirmed among infected people, while the number of severely ill COVID-19 patients climbed by 48 from the previous day to 1,068, surpassing 1,000 for the second consecutive day.

The number of new infection cases stood at no less than 10 in 45 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, with the exception being Shimane and Tokushima prefectures in western Japan.

The daily tally reached record highs in six prefectures–Saitama, Chiba, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Shiga and Kumamoto.

In Tokyo, the number of new cases came to 4,566, up by 508 from a week before and above 4,000 for four days in a row, the metropolitan government said.

The seven-day average of new infection cases in the Japanese capital rose 33.3 pct from a week earlier to 3,893.

The number of severely ill COVID-19 patients under the metropolitan government’s criteria grew by nine from Friday to 150.

JIJI Press