China News Service, August 19, according to Kyodo News, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare revealed on the 18th that the number of new coronavirus infections in 40 prefectures and counties is equivalent to the “fourth stage” (expanding outbreak).
The number of new infections in China that day exceeded 23,000, a record high.
From the perspective of administrative regions, 27 prefectures and counties have refreshed their peaks.
The number of critically ill patients also hit a record high for 6 consecutive days.
On August 16, local time, Tokyo Dome Stadium in Japan became the new crown vaccination center, and people came to get vaccinated in an orderly manner.
It is reported that in the current epidemic situation in Tokyo, the medical system has fallen into an extremely severe situation. The government will build oxygen centers in various places as soon as possible to deal with the need for oxygen therapy for new crown patients who are recuperating at home.
According to reports, the analysis of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan showed that as of mid-August, more than 90% of the new crown virus circulating in the country is estimated to be a highly infectious Delta strain.
Expert analysis said that despite the continuous implementation of key measures such as emergency declarations and prevention of spread, the reduction in the flow of people in downtown areas is limited, and the number of infections may further increase.
Experts pointed out that "there are many areas with a positive rate of more than 20%. It can be considered that it is not enough to determine the number of infections through testing."
In addition, experts also said that it is difficult to coordinate the hospitalization of moderately symptomatic patients and severely ill patients, and there have been cases where conventional medical care is restricted and emergency medical delivery is difficult, and they emphasized that "it is necessary to quickly curb the spread of the epidemic."
Statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare show that there have been 10,088 collective infections nationwide, with “businesses, etc.” being the largest number, and the incidence in “welfare facilities for the elderly” and “restaurants” is also significant.
According to the report, Japan's Aida Murakami expressed a sense of crisis, saying: "A very severe epidemic is continuing."