Tokyo Ups COVID-19 Medical Care Alert to Highest Level

Tokyo, July 21 (Jiji Press)--The Tokyo metropolitan government Thursday raised its COVID-19 alert on medical care availability to the highest level of its four-tier scale amid the rapid spread of novel coronavirus infections.

The medical care system is "under strain," experts said in a meeting to monitor the infection situation. The alert hit the highest level for the first time in about four months.

Facing the COVID-19 resurgence, the metropolitan government will increase the number of medical institutions that can conduct coronavirus tests and treat COVID-19 sufferers on weekends by providing subsidies.

"Vaccinations, ventilation and face masks. With the three keywords, I ask Tokyo residents to take infection prevention measures," Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told the meeting.

On Thursday, new infections in Tokyo hit a daily record of 31,878 cases, with the seven-day average up 66.2 pct from a week before at 18,823 cases.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]