Japan records high of daily virus cases, amid worrying spike

TOKYO (AP) — Japan reported a record number of daily coronavirus infections Thursday, amid a worrying spike in a country that has been spared the worst of the pandemic and hopes to host the Olympics next year.

Compared to many other countries, Japan has done well combatting the virus, reporting just under 2,000 deaths in a nation of 126 million since the pandemic began. But Tokyo saw a record number of single-day cases twice this week, and the Health Ministry said Thursday that the national number hit a record with 2,179 new cases.

That's the first time Japan has had more than 2,000 daily cases since the pandemic began. The previous high was set Saturday.

Those figures are still quite low compared to many places around the world experiencing dangerous surges, and, while Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga urged the thorough use of masks Thursday, he did not call for reissuing restrictions on travel or business.

But experts on Tokyo’s coronavirus panel called for officials to secure more beds for patients and hotel rooms for those with less serious symptoms before infections climb further.

“We must stop further escalation of the infections, no matter what,” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike told reporters. Koike expressed concerns about rising infections among elderly people, who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill when infected and could strain the medical system.

The steady climb in cases now could call into question plans to hold the Olympics next summer after they were postponed because of the pandemic. IOC President Thomas Bach was in Japan earlier in the week to discuss the Games and said participants and fans would be encouraged to get vaccinated — assuming there's a vaccine in time — in order to protect the Japanese public.

The plan appears to be predicated...