Japan shifting COVID cases to homecare to ease pressure on hospitals

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is shifting to home care for most people with COVID-19 to ensure it has enough hospital beds for severe cases as infection rates in the country's capital and other regions spike to record levels, the government's spokesman said on Tuesday.

The volume of cases has risen and the nature of infections has changed, with younger people rather than vulnerable elderly people becoming infected, Chief of Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a regular news briefing.

The government has so far failed to slow the spread of the virus in Tokyo despite declaring a state of emergency.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Kim Coghill)

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