Tokyo, Jul 23 (Bureau) The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 1,359 new COVID-19 cases Friday amid public concern that infections could hit record highs during the Tokyo Olympics, local media reported Friday. The seven-day rolling average of cases is 1,386 per day, an increase of 46.5 percent from the previous week. Tokyo is currently under a fourth COVID-19 state of emergency until Aug. 22.
Health experts advising the Tokyo metropolitan government have warned that Tokyo might face a “critical” COVID-19 situation if the virus continues to spread at the current rate, and concerns about the transmission of the highly contagious Delta variant have also been on the rise. According to the estimation of the health experts, daily infections could increase to about 2,600 cases in early August during the Olympics, which will close on Aug. 8.