TOKYO: The number of novel coronavirus infection cases newly confirmed in Japan came to 16,012 on Saturday.

The daily total fell by 6,724 from a week earlier and stood below 20,000 for the third straight day.

New COVID-19 fatalities totaled 60. The number of severely ill coronavirus patients rose by two from Friday to 2,223, hitting a record high for three consecutive days.

In Tokyo, 2,362 people newly tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, down by 1,219 from a week before.

The daily count in the Japanese capital was lower than the week-before level for 13 days in a row. Fifteen new deaths were confirmed in Tokyo.

According to the metropolitan government, people in their 20s made up the largest group of new infection cases in Tokyo, at 639, followed by those in their 30s, at 472, and those in their 40s, at 351. New patients aged 19 or younger and those aged 65 or older numbered 429 and 141, respectively.

The seven-day average of new cases in Tokyo came to 2,724.7 as of Saturday, down 31.4 pct from a week before.

The number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms, under the metropolitan government’s criteria, fell by 11 from Friday to 267.

JIJI Press