COVID-19 infections in Japan rise to 676

TOKYO - Japan's health ministry and local governments said on Friday that the number of COVID-19 infections stood at a total of 676 infected people in Japan as of 10:30 am local time.

The death toll in Japan from the virus currently stands at a total of 26 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 676 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 111 confirmed cases, Osaka 89, Tokyo 75, Kanagawa 49 and Hyogo Prefecture has confirmed 46 COVID-19 infections, according to the latest statistics from the health ministry and local authorities.

The health ministry said there are currently 43 patients considered severely ill and are on ventilators to receive respiratory assistance or have been admitted to intensive care units for medical treatment.