Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
People wearing face masks to protect against the novel coronavirus wait in line to get water from Self-Defense Forces personnel in Shinchi, Fukushima Prefecture, on Feb. 14, 2021, after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck northeastern Japan late on Feb. 13. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
As of 11:50 p.m., Monday, Feb. 15
- A total of 965 daily coronavirus infections were reported in Japan on Monday, coming in below the 1,000 mark for the first time in three months, while the number of deaths related to COVID-19 topped 7,000, a Kyodo News tally showed.
- Japan plans to start inoculating elderly people only after the coronavirus vaccinations for frontline health workers have been administered, possibly delaying the initially anticipated start date for seniors in April, a senior government official said Monday.
- Japan will survey the potential side effects caused by various coronavirus vaccines after a total of 3 million doses are administered to the general public, the health ministry said Monday.
- Japan's advertising giant Dentsu Group Inc. on Monday reported a record net loss of 159.60 billion yen ($1.5 billion) in fiscal 2020, as its mainstay advertising business slumped amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Japan's economy contracted 4.8 percent in real terms in 2020 from the previous year, the second sharpest contraction on record, reflecting the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Monday.
- National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Saturday the United States has "deep concerns" about the way the early findings were communicated following the World Health Organization's investigation into the origins of the coronavirus in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
- As Japan prepares to begin COVID-19 vaccinations this week, dry ice manufacturers are scrambling to ensure they can meet the expected surge in demand driven by a need to store the Pfizer Inc. vaccine at an ultra-cold temperature.
- Politically weakened by criticism over his coronavirus response, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is pinning his hopes of remaining in power on the successful rollout of vaccines across Japan.
As of 11 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 14
- The New Zealand government imposed a lockdown for three days in the country's largest city Auckland from midnight Sunday after the discovery of coronavirus infections in a family.
- Japan formally approved Pfizer Inc.'s coronavirus vaccine on Sunday, the first to be greenlit for domestic use, and is set to start inoculating health workers in a matter of days.
- As the Japanese government prepares to roll out novel coronavirus vaccines on Wednesday to fight the pandemic, skepticism in some sections of the public may hamper the effort.
A street lined with bars and restaurants is quiet in Tokyo's Shimbashi area on Feb. 13, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Tokyo Coronavirus Support Center for Foreign Residents (TOCOS)" multilingual hotline
- Available in Simple Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Khmer, and Burmese, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays except national holidays.
0120-296-004 (toll free)
https://www.seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/chiiki_tabunka/tabunka/tabunkasuishin/0000001452.html - AMDA Medical Information Center's "Multilingual Consultation Service"
- Available in Simple Japanese and English, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
03-6233-9266 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's COVID-19 info
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/ - Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/contacts
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (including weekends and holidays)
0570-550571
- Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
03-5388-1396 - Japan National Tourism Organization's "Guide for when you are feeling ill"
- Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html - JNTO's "Japan Visitor Hotline"
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas) - Japan's health ministry hotline
- Available in Japanese only, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0120-565653 - World Health Organization's "Q&A on coronaviruses"
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
