TOKYO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Japan's daily COVID-19-related deaths surpassed 300 for the third consecutive day, amid a strain on the country's medical system fueled by the seventh wave of infections.
Japan reported 303 new coronavirus-related deaths over the last 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 40,258, exceeding 40,000 for the first time. Meanwhile, the country logged 149,906 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number to 19,117,599.
Despite the fast-spreading new wave of infections across the country, the government has not imposed any anti-virus restrictions. Moreover, Japan will raise its daily entry cap on arrivals to 50,000 from the current 20,000 from Sept. 7 in a further easing of strict COVID-19 border controls, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday.
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said on Wednesday that although the number of newly confirmed cases has begun to decrease nationally, the COVID-19 infection level remains high and the hospital bed occupancy rate hovers at a high level.
In terms of medical treatment, there have been many cases of difficulty in emergency transportation and the absence of medical staff, which has caused a great burden on the general medical system as well, the ministry added.
According to Kyodo News, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that in the week from Aug. 22 to 28, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan reached 1,258,772, the highest number in the world for six consecutive weeks. During the same period, Japan's death toll from the coronavirus increased by 23 percent from the previous week to 1,990, ranking second in the world after the United States. ■
