Tokyo daily COVID-19 cases hit record for 4th straight day

Tokyo recorded its highest number of daily COVID-19 infections for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday as the omicron variant continued to spread rapidly.

The capital city had 11,227 new coronavirus cases, the local government said, a day after reinstatement of curbs on mobility and business activity that are set to run until Feb 13.

The case count jumped nearly 2.5 times from 4,561 lodged a week before and was higher than 9,699 confirmed cases on Friday.

Three people died of COVID-19 and 12 patients were in serious condition on Saturday, the Tokyo government also said.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for coronavirus patients in Tokyo rose to 34.3%. A rise to 50% would warrant a state of emergency with more severe restrictions, local officials have said.

Osaka prefecture announced it had 7,375 infections on Saturday, hitting a record for a second straight day.