Tokyo emergency expanded amid record Covid spike
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expanded a state of emergency to areas surrounding Tokyo and extended it to the end of August, in the face of a record virus surge unfolding as his country hosts the Olympics.
Suga announced the move on Friday at a government task force meeting and said the virus emergency would also add Osaka. He later said the Tokyo surge wasn’t related to the Olympics that are being held without spectators, calling on people to stay home and watch the games on television.
“Infections are spreading at a rate not seen before,” Suga told the task force, warning that more serious cases could put the health care system under strain.
The expansion comes after three straight days of record Covid-19 infections in Tokyo and as national daily infection figures soared over 10,000 for the first time since the pandemic began about 18 months ago.
Half of Myanmar could get the virus, UNSC told
Britain warned the UN Security Council on Thursday that half of coup-wracked Myanmar’s population of 54 million could become infected with Covid-19 within the next two weeks.
The UK convened the meeting in response to what it called the “dire” coronavirus situation in Myanmar.
Britain urged the Council to ensure resolution 2565, which demands ceasefires in conflict zones to allow the safe delivery of coronavirus vaccines, is respected in Myanmar.
In the last week, the per capita death rate in Myanmar surpassed those of Indonesia and Malaysia to become the worst in Southeast Asia. The country’s crippled health care system has rapidly become overwhelmed with new patients sick with Covid-19.
Supplies of medical oxygen are running low, and the government has restricted its private sale in many places, saying it is trying to prevent hoarding. But that has led to widespread allegations that the stocks are being directed to government supporters and military-run hospitals.
At the same time, medical workers have been targeted after spearheading a civil disobedience movement.