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Tokyo is setting new records as new cases of COVID-19 continue to spike across Japan. On Wednesday (July 27), Japanese authorities said there were over 3,000 new cases reported in the Olympic host city, which is the highest number since the coronavirus pandemic started last year.
The number of new cases broke the single-day record, which was set on Tuesday. There is no evidence that Olympic workers are transmitting the virus to members of the general public. There has been a total of coronavirus 169 cases related to the Olympics since July 1, with 16 new cases reported on Wednesday.
Tokyo declared a state of emergency on July 12 for the fourth time since the beginning of the pandemic as it tried to control the highly transmissible Delta variant ahead of the Summer Games.
According to NPR, hospitals are adding more beds and canceling elective surgeries to make enough space for the influx of patients. Japanese officials are urging people, especially younger, unvaccinated people, to take the precautions seriously and follow the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the virus.
“Younger people’s activity holds the key (to slowing the infections), and we need your cooperation,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said. “Please make sure to avoid nonessential outings and observe basic anti-infection measures, and I would like younger people to get vaccinated.”