TOKYO: Experts expressed concerns Thursday about the prolonged effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Tokyo’s medical system, especially in light of an increase in severely ill elderly patients.

“The infection situation remains critical,” experts said at a Tokyo metropolitan government meeting for monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the Japanese capital, seeking to promote booster vaccinations.

The seven-day average of daily infection cases in Tokyo fell 17.7 percent from a week before to 14,563.7 as of Wednesday. While the figure has been on the decline since peaking at 18,024.7 on Feb. 8, the metropolitan government kept its COVID-19 alert unchanged at the highest level on its four-tier scale.

The metropolitan government also kept its alert on medical care availability unchanged at the highest level of its four-tier system. The number of severely ill COVID-19 patients requiring ventilators rose to 81 as of Wednesday from 59 a week before.

“There is strain on the medical system, including for non-COVID-19 medical care,” the metropolitan government said. “Severely ill patients tend to increase later than new positive cases,” it warned.

JIJI Press