Japan's Osaka tops Tokyo for new COVID-19 cases, expert warns 2nd wave underway

TOKYO - Japan on Wednesday confirmed 1,068 more cases of COVID-19, with the western prefecture of Osaka reporting more infections than Tokyo amid warnings of a second wave of the virus outbreak.

Osaka confirmed 187 new daily COVID-19 cases, the most in Japan, while Tokyo confirmed 186 additional cases.

As Osaka's daily tally topped Tokyo's for the first time in three months, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said, "We call on our people to avoid high-risk areas and high-risk activities to contain the spread. If you have any symptoms, please take a virus test immediately."

Relatively high daily infection rates were also confirmed in other prefectures in Japan, possibly as a result of increased travel during the Bon holiday, which usually sees people return to their hometowns in droves to visit relatives.

Fukuoka Prefecture confirmed 102 new cases, while Tokyo's neighboring prefecture of Kanagawa saw 95 new infections.

In Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, a holiday hot-spot for travelers, infections increased by 71, while Saitama Prefecture, also close to Tokyo, reported 62 new cases, according to the latest official figures from health officials and prefectural authorities.

As the virus' resurgence in Japan shows no real signs of abating, with the nationwide tally almost reaching 60,000, with more than 1,100 deaths, a well-known infectious disease expert in Japan has warned that the nation is in the middle of a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported.

Kazuhiro Tateda of the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases said the chart of new daily infections shows Japan is in the midst of a second wave of infections.

"We are now in the midst of a second wave. People may think coronavirus infections have peaked out, both in Tokyo and nationwide. But we need to closely monitor the situation for whether a resurgence is underway,"

Tateda was also quoted as saying the nation's current COVID-19 predicament may be worse compared to a few months ago.

Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said the government recognizes the severity of the situation and the urgent need to take action, but stopped short of definitely saying Japan is being hit by a second wave, owing to a definition being unclear.

"With regards to daily new cases, the current figures are higher than those during the state of emergency. We consider the current wave to be a big one," Nishimura said.

Tokyo's 186 new daily COVID-19 infections reported Wednesday, meanwhile, follow 207 cases reported a day earlier, 161 on Monday and a spike of 260 cases confirmed on Sunday.

The latest figure marks the first time since Monday that new infections have dropped below 200, with the figure also falling below the seven-day average of 256.3 cases, the metropolitan government said.

The number of patients hospitalized and designated as being in a "serious condition," however, rose to 32 from 31 the previous day, the Tokyo metropolitan government said.

This marks the second time the number of serious COVID-19 patients in the capital of 14 million has topped the 30-mark since May amid concerns over the virus' rampant contagiousness in urban areas.

Osaka reported the previous day the number of patients listed as being in a "serious condition" more than doubled Tokyo's figure at 70 patients.

Tokyo's cumulative total of infections has now surpassed 18,000, the highest among Japan's 47 prefectures, with the Tokyo metropolitan government maintaining its highest alert level on its four-tier scale meaning "infections are spreading."

The Tokyo metropolitan government has reiterated calls for Tokyo residents to refrain from traveling outside the prefecture during the holiday season, as well as refrain from dining out in groups, including small gatherings held in close proximity with others.

Establishments serving alcohol such as restaurants, bars and karaoke parlors have been requested to shorten their opening hours until the end of August and shut their doors at 10:00 p.m. in a bid to curb the further spread of the virus.

The metropolitan government has described the situation in the capital as "extremely severe," with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike saying that a Tokyo-specific state of emergency could be declared if the virus' resurgence continues to worsen.