TOKYO: The daily number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan touched 226,171 on Sunday, rising by some 47,800 from a week earlier and standing above 200,000 for the fifth straight day.

The country reported 226 new fatalities among COVID-19 patients on the day, while the number of severely ill patients climbed by 16 from the previous day to 632.

In Tokyo alone, 24,780 new infection cases were confirmed Sunday, up by 2,040 from a week earlier. The daily count stood above the week-before level for the third straight day.

Twenty-nine new deaths among novel coronavirus patients were confirmed in the Japanese capital.

The seven-day average of new infections in Tokyo rose 1 pct from a week before to 25,892.6, according to the capital’s metropolitan government.

The number of coronavirus patients with severe symptoms under Tokyo’s criteria rose by two from Saturday to 38.

In other prefectures, new positive cases came to 17,671 in Osaka, 14,501 in Aichi, 12,749 in Fukuoka and 11,710 in Hyogo.

New infection cases hit record highs in the prefectures of Iwate and Tokushima.

JIJI Press