Covid Tokyo today, record contagions for Delta variant

The city of Tokyo, which hosts the Olympic Games, has recorded the daily record of daily infections from Sars-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic, due to the rapid spread of the Delta, or Indian variant. The capital registered 4,166 new infections in 24 hours today, 989 more than the previous day. Across Japan, the number of infections exceeds 14 thousand in 24 hours. Tokyo and other prefectures are subject to a state of emergency until August 31, but the capital is struggling to keep the wave of infections under control. Read also Omi Shigeru, the main government advisor for Covid, warned today that the number of new daily cases in Tokyo could rise to 10,000, in the worst case scenario. To prevent a hospital bed shortage, only patients with severe symptoms or those at risk of developing severe disease will be able to go to hospital in areas with high rates of contagion after a highly controversial central government decision. The government’s sudden change of course has sparked anger: patients with mild symptoms who now have to stay at home are feared to become seriously ill and be left alone. Omi said he had not been consulted by the government previously. The Delta, or Indian, variant of the coronavirus “is an extremely strong enemy,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said. He appealed to citizens to stay home during the summer holidays and the upcoming Obon Buddhist festival. However, the Olympic Games, which take place without spectators, are set to continue.The relatively few cases in the Olympic ‘bubble’, segregated from the rest of the city, have no direct connection with the rapid spread of the virus in Tokyo. But the fact that the Games are held anyway has “an impact on people’s awareness,” Omi said according to reports. For critics, the Olympics, broadcast non-stop on all TV channels, would contribute to the fact that young Japanese people no longer take the virus seriously. The organizers of the Olympics recorded 29 new cases related to the Games today. And the most cases related to the races since the organizers began to report them, on July 1st. The latest figures bring the total number of positive tests related to the Olympics to 322.

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