Tokyo Olympics: Japan reports more than 10,000 new cases for first time

Name: More Olympic medal hopes for Hong Kong as swimmer Siobhan Haughey storms into 100m freestyle final
Uploaded: 2021-07-29T04:16:07.000Z
Duration: 3 min 54 s
Description: More Olympic medal hopes for Hong Kong as swimmer Siobhan Haughey storms into 100m freestyle final

The country’s top medical adviser wants the government to send a ‘clearer, stronger message’ about growing risks

Olympics organisers said two Games-related people from overseas with Covid-19 have been hospitalised but neither case is serious

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Olympic staff members clean a course at Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre in Tokyo. Photo: Bloomberg

Reuters

Published: 12:16pm, 29 Jul 2021Updated: 9:55pm, 29 Jul 2021

Japan faces its most serious situation since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the country’s top medical adviser warned on Thursday, urging the government to send a “clearer, stronger message” about growing risks, including to the medical system.

Newly reported daily Covid-19 cases in Japan exceeded 10,000 for the first time, Nippon Television reported on Thursday, after the Tokyo metropolitan government reported a record 3,865 new infection cases in the capital.

03:54

More Olympic medal hopes for Hong Kong as swimmer Siobhan Haughey storms into 100m freestyle final

Games organisers on Thursday announced 24 new Covid-19 cases associated with the Games, including three athletes, bringing the total to 193 since July 1.

Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya said on Thursday two Games-related people from overseas with Covid-19 have been hospitalised but neither case is serious.

Takaya declined to provide further details on the cases citing privacy concerns.

“The biggest crisis is that society does not share a sense of risk,” top medical adviser Shigeru Omi told a parliamentary panel. “The numbers [for Tokyo] surpassed 3,000 and this may have some announcement effect. Without missing this chance, I want the government to send a stronger, clearer message.”