TOKYO (Reuters) – Tokyo recorded its highest number of daily COVID-19 infections for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday as the Omicron variant continued to spread rapidly.
The capital city had 11,227 new coronavirus cases, the local government said, a day after reinstatement of curbs on mobility and business activity that are set to run until Feb. 13.
The case count jumped nearly 2.5 times from 4,561 lodged a week before and was higher than 9,699 confirmed cases on Friday.
Three people died of COVID-19 and 12 patients were in serious condition on Saturday, the Tokyo government also said.
The occupancy rate of hospital beds for coronavirus patients in Tokyo rose to 34.3%. A rise to 50% would warrant a state of emergency with more severe restrictions, local officials have said.
Osaka prefecture announced it had 7,375 infections on Saturday, hitting a record for a second straight day.
(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
