Coronavirus: Japan hits record cases as it reconsiders ‘isolate at home’ policy

New daily Covid-19 cases surpassed 14,000 amid the Tokyo Olympics, as Yoshihide Suga’s government said it may change the controversial policy

Elsewhere, Indonesia surpassed 100,000 deaths as it battles the Delta variant, and Thailand’s Phuket resort island said nearly 15,000 people visited in July

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A security officer stands guard at the gate of a Tokyo Olympics event, as Japan continues its state of emergency during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 8:30pm, 4 Aug 2021Updated: 10:44pm, 4 Aug 2021

Japan’s daily total of Covid-19 cases surpassed 14,000 on Wednesday, setting another record just days after hitting the previous high, as concerns grew over the strain on the medical system in Tokyo, where the Olympic Games are being held.

The capital, struggling to contain a resurgence of the coronavirus despite being under its fourth pandemic state of emergency since July 12, confirmed a record 4,166 daily coronavirus cases. Ten other prefectures, including neighbouring Saitama and Chiba, also logged records the same day.

Japan reported record single-day figures for five consecutive to Sunday, when it logged more than 12,000 cases.

According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus made up 90 per cent of infections in the Kanto region in eastern Japan, including Tokyo, and 60 per cent in western Japan as of early August.

Tokyo’s latest tally topped 4,058 cases on Saturday. The capital’s seven-day rolling average of infections also rose to a record 3,478.7 per day, up 78.0 per cent from the previous week.

Meanwhile, Japan’s health minister on Wednesday signalled the government may consider rolling back a controversial new policy asking Covid-19 patients with less serious symptoms to isolate at home rather than going to the hospital.