TOKYO: The average number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Japan in the week through Sunday per medical institution stood at 5.60, up 1.09-fold from the previous week’s 5.11, the health ministry said Friday.

The 5,000 or so medical institutions subject to routine reporting counted 27,614 new infection cases in the seven-day period, according to the ministry.

By prefecture, Okinawa had the highest average, at 28.74, followed by Kagoshima, at 9.60, and Chiba, at 7.57. Akita had the lowest average, at 2.81.

“The number of COVID-19 infection cases has continued to increase moderately,” an official at the ministry said.

“As the rise in such cases is especially prominent in Okinawa, we may see a further increase there,” the official warned.

The total number of COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in the week came to 4,417, down 67 from the week before.

The ministry also released its excess death data, which is calculated by comparing the number of deaths reported by 19 local governments for April 3-May 28 with the figure for the same period in each of the past five years.

No excess deaths have been confirmed, the ministry said.

JIJI Press