COVID-19 upstages Olympics in Tokyo
TOKYO – Tokyo’s COVID-19 infections surged to a six-month high Wednesday with the Olympic host city logging 1,832 new cases just two days before the Games begin.
Tokyo is currently under its fourth state of emergency, which will last until Aug. 22, covering the entire duration of the Olympics that start Friday and end Aug. 8. Fans are banned from all venues in the Tokyo area.
“What we have worried about is now actually happening,” Japan Medical Association President Toshio Nakagawa said.
Experts noted that cases among younger, unvaccinated people are sharply rising as Japan’s inoculation drive loses steam due to supply uncertainty. Many of the serious cases are among people in their 50s.
Japan’s vaccinations began late and slowly, but the pace picked up in May for several weeks as the supply of imported jabs stabilized and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government desperately pushed to accelerate the drive before the Olympics.
About 23% of Japanese are fully vaccinated, well short of the levels believed to have any meaningful effect to reduce risks on the general population.
Japan has had about 84,800 infections and more than 15,000 deaths since the pandemic began, most since the latest wave in January. Experts warned that Tokyo’s infections will worsen in coming weeks.