COVID-19 cases in Hokkaido hit new high

The daily count of new coronavirus cases in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido has hit a new high of 9,545.

Hokkaido's tally for Wednesday is up 1,650 from a week ago, exceeding 9,000 for a second straight day. The prefecture reported 22 new deaths, another single-day high.

The uptrend is also seen in Tokyo, where Health Ministry officials confirmed 9,012 new infections on Wednesday. The figure for the capital is up 2,665 from a week ago, for a fifth straight day of week-on-week increase.

The officials say 18 patients in Tokyo are in serious condition and being treated on ventilators or ECMO heart-lung machines. The figure is down two from Tuesday. Five deaths were also reported.

Nationwide, 87,410 new cases were confirmed on Wednesday, and 97 people died from the virus.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221109_47/