TOKYO, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Japan's health ministry and local governments said Thursday the number of COVID-19 infections stood at a total of 643 infected people in Japan as of 6:00 p.m. local time here.
The death toll in Japan from the COVID-19 currently stands at total of 24 people, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.
Of the 643 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan, the majority are in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, which has confirmed 128 cases and previously declared a state of emergency over the situation.
Aichi Prefecture, meanwhile, has 104 confirmed cases, Osaka 80, Tokyo 73, Kanagawa 48 and Hyogo Prefecture has confirmed 41 COVID-19 infections, according to the latest statistics from health ministry and local authorities.
The health ministry said there are currently 40 patients considered severely ill and are on ventilators to receive respiratory assistance or have been admitted to intensive care units for medical treatment.
The ministry also said that a total of 475 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovery.
