Tokyo adds record 2,848 Covid-19 infections amid ongoing Olympic Games

Tokyo, July 27 (EFE).- Tokyo on Tuesday added 2,848 new Covid-19 cases, the highest daily rise of infections in the Olympic host city since the pandemic began.

The record spike in daily infections comes in the middle of the global sporting event that opened last Friday.

The figure is more than the previous record of Jan.7 when health authorities detected 2,520 cases in the Japanese capital, currently in the fourth state of emergency since the pandemic began.

The emergency will remain in force in Tokyo until Aug.22 and throughout the sporting event.

Apart from the ban on spectators, the Games are held amid unprecedented restrictions for international athletes.

These include limits on the movement of athletes within the Olympics zone and constant monitoring of their health.

The surge in Covid-19 infections in Tokyo had stoked concerns over the Olympic Games as Japanese citizens have expressed their discontent over holding the sporting event.

Many Japanese had expressed concern that the Games could act as a super-spreader before the beginning of the event.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said the government was “concerned” because the number of people in critical condition is increasing.

Public broadcaster NHK quoted her saying that over 2 percent of Covid-19 patients were above 65 years.

The governor insisted that it was important for young people to get inoculated as soon as possible.

Only 25.5 percent of the Japanese population has received both doses of the vaccine. A vast majority of them are over 65, the government data showed.

The government declared a state of emergency on July 12 as the daily infections spiked in the capital amid concerns about the incidence of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. EFE

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