A voter (R) wearing two face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic casts a ballot for the Catalan regional election in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 14, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 16

• Japan will begin administering COVID-19 vaccine to an initial group of 40,000 health workers on Wednesday, double the number previously planned, the minister in charge of vaccination efforts said Tuesday.
  
  
• Hay fever season has arrived in Japan, presenting sufferers with an added challenge amid the coronavirus pandemic as rubbing itchy eyes and wiping runny noses may increase the risk of viral infection, while opening doors and windows to improve ventilation could add to the amount of pollen coming indoors.
  
  
• The final boxing world qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for June, is set to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, several sources close to the matter said Monday.
  
  
• Local authorities and hospitals in Japan have been using a range of remote monitoring devices to keep tabs on coronavirus patients recovering at home or in designated hotels during the pandemic.

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.

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People wearing face masks to protect against the novel coronavirus have their temperatures checked at the entrance of an emergency shelter in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2021, after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck northeastern Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

 

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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