Single-day record: Japan confirms more than 3,000 new COVID-19 infections

A screen in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, states that the number of new infections with the novel coronavirus exceeded 3,000 nationwide on Saturday. The Japan News/Asia News Network

TOKYO — A record 3,040 new infections with the novel coronavirus were confirmed Saturday in 43 prefectures and at airports, marking the first time that the number has exceeded 3,000.

Tokyo and the prefectures of Saitama, Iwate, Yamagata, Nagano, Gifu and Kochi each saw their highest-ever levels of new infections. A total of 28 people died, including six in Hokkaido and six in Osaka Prefecture. The number of people who became seriously ill was 578, also the most so far.

The number of new infections in the week through Saturday was 17,331, up 12% from the previous week’s 15,421. There were 709 deaths in the last month, three times the 235 recorded in the previous one-month period. The number of people with serious symptoms has also more than doubled.

New infections per day began to decline after they reached 1,605 on Aug. 7. However, they started to rise sharply in November, exceeding 2,000 for the first time on Nov. 18.

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