New daily coronavirus cases in Japan topped 20,000 for the second straight day on Saturday, adding to pressure on the government to expand the state of emergency beyond Tokyo, Osaka and a few other prefectures.
The news came on a day when Germany reported the biggest daily surge in cases since May, with the health minister warning residents to brace for a second dangerous winter as not enough people were vaccinated yet.
In Russia, meanwhile, Covid-19 deaths set a record for the third consecutive day, while in Australia, Sydney tightened restrictions further as the Delta variant continued to spread.
In Japan, the seven-day rolling average of infections in Tokyo has risen to 4,231 per day, up 9% from the previous week. The number of Covid patients with severe symptoms nationwide hit a record high of 1,521, the health ministry said.
With the virus spreading rapidly and showing no signs of abating, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga plans talks with relevant ministers next week on expanding the state of emergency, which has been issued in Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Osaka and Okinawa prefectures.
Authorities also plan to expand the list of businesses subject to Covid restrictions to include shops that operate in the basements of shopping malls, which are often connected to subway stations.
The move comes after major retailer Isetan closed some basement outlets after a number of cases at its flagship store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district.
In other coronavirus news:
‘Hold out until spring’
Germany reported 5,644 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, the biggest daily increase since the end of May. A week ago, the number stood at 3,206.
The seven-day incidence — a measure used by the government to decide on restrictions — has reached a level last seen at the beginning of June.
Germany must “hold out once again until spring,” Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a video conference on Friday. “The fourth wave is coming. But we have not yet vaccinated enough people that a burden on the health system can be excluded.”
Russia struggling
Russia continues to struggle with the Delta variant amid sluggish vaccination rates. A government tally showed 819 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 22,144 new infections.
Russia, the fourth worst-hit country in the world in terms of cases, has since mid-June been hit by a new wave of infections driven by the aggressive Delta variant.
The new figures bring Russia’s total fatalities from Covid-19 to 169,683 — the highest in Europe.
The figure only takes into account deaths where the virus was established as the primary cause of death after an autopsy.
Under a broader definition for deaths linked to the coronavirus, the statistics agency Rosstat said the country has seen more than 300,000 fatalities as of the end of June.
Authorities have faced a vaccine-sceptical population, with a poll by the independent Levada Centre this week showing that 55% of Russians do not plan on getting inoculated.
Moscow, the epicentre of the outbreak, and a host of regions have introduced mandatory vaccination measures to speed up the inoculation drive, and President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly called on Russians to get vaccinated.
While Russia has three homegrown vaccines available to the population, it does not distribute any of the Western-made jabs.
As of Saturday, just over 32 million people, or 22% of the population of 146 million people, had been fully vaccinated, according to the Gogov website that tallies Covid data.
Australians hunker down
Authorities in Australia are tightening restrictions, increasing fines and ramping up policing in Sydney in a bid to contain the Delta outbreak in the country’s most populous city, after cases surged to a record on Saturday. Melbourne is in the second week of its sixth lockdown since the pandemic began.
New South Wales state recorded 466 new cases in the local community Saturday, up 19% from the previous record the day before. The vast majority were in Sydney, which is failing to contain the outbreak despite entering its eighth week of lockdown.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said in a tweet that all of the state would enter a weeklong lockdown from 5pm Saturday.
Iran curbs travel further
Iran is to impose a one-week lockdown and a ban on road travel amid a fifth Covid surge in the worst-hit country in the Middle East, state television reported on Saturday.
All non-essential businesses and offices will have to close under the nationwide lockdown from Monday to Aug 21, in an effort to curb the Delta variant.
Authorities are also imposing a driving ban from Sunday until Aug 27, except for essential vehicles.
“All roads will be closed except for trucks carrying food and essential goods and ambulances. This traffic ban will be very strictly imposed,” said Alireza Raisi, spokesman for the national coronavirus task force.
Authorities will only allow open-air gatherings for ongoing Shia Muslim mourning ceremonies, Raisi said.
The Health Ministry reported 29,700 new cases on Saturday, and 466 daily deaths, down from a record daily toll of 588 fatalities on Monday. Total deaths have reached 97,208, according to official figures.
Social media users have accused the government of mismanagement over slow vaccinations with only 3.8 million people fully inoculated in a population of 83 million.
Officials have blamed US sanctions for hampering efforts to buy foreign vaccines and for delays in deliveries. (Story continues below)
Students return on the first day of school at West Tampa Elementary School in Tampa, Florida on Aug 10. Masks are not mandatory for students in the state but many are wearing them. (Reuters Photo)
Records in US states
In the United States, Florida set a record for weekly Covid cases with confirmed infections rising 12% to 151,415 for the seven days through Thursday, even as Governor Ron DeSantis defends his ban on mask mandates in schools.
Florida posted an additional 1,071 deaths in the past week, a daily average of 153. That compares with an average of 185 deaths per day last August, Johns Hopkins University data show.
Earlier this month, DeSantis said the state’s Covid mortality rate was still trending 70-75% lower than previous peaks; that is no longer the case.
Mississippi also broke daily records for new cases, hospitalisations and intensive-care patients, state data show. New infections reported Friday rose to 5,023, while hospitalisations reached 1,497 and intensive care cases hit 395. Another 31 deaths were reported, one of the highest-ever tolls.
Mississippi has the lowest rate of vaccination in the US, and Governor Tate Reeves has extended a state of emergency and requested federal help in dealing with the worst outbreak of the pandemic.
He said, however, that he would not mandate masks or impose vaccine mandates for state employees.