Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, May 8
- The Indian government on Saturday reported a record 4,187 COVID-19 deaths, a record single-day total and the first time the number has exceeded 4,000, as highly contagious variants continue to rage across the South Asian country.
- Japan's daily COVID-19 cases topped 7,000 for the first time since mid-January on Saturday, a day after the government's decision to expand the ongoing state of emergency beyond Tokyo and the greater Osaka region, amid growing fears over spreading variants of the coronavirus.
- The World Health Organization approved on Friday a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, paving the way for Beijing to extend further assistance to hard-hit developing countries.
- As the international community focuses on the humanitarian crisis in India, a deadly coronavirus crisis is also unfolding in neighboring Nepal, leaving the small Himalayan nation in a battle it is ill-prepared to fight, public health experts say.
- Japan's extended state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic is estimated to lead to an economic loss of 1 trillion yen ($9.2 billion), dimming the prospect for a steady recovery toward the end of the year, according to an economist's forecast.
- The Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association on Friday opposed U.S. support for a temporary waiver of coronavirus vaccine patent rights held by pharmaceutical companies, saying such a move could exacerbate global shortages of vital components for vaccines and stoke anxiety about product quality.
As of 11 p.m., Friday, May 7
- Japan reported a record 148 daily coronavirus deaths on Friday as the country battles a "fourth wave" of infections that shows no signs of stopping.
- The Japanese government aims to ramp up its COVID-19 vaccine rollout to 1 million shots administered per day, roughly triple the current pace, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday.
- The Japanese government decided Friday to expand the COVID-19 state of emergency beyond Tokyo and the Osaka region and extend it to May 31 to bring down infections and ease the strain on hospitals.
- A Japanese online petition calling for the cancellation of this summer's Tokyo Olympics had received over 200,000 signatures as of Friday, just two days after its launch, as public fears over the coronavirus pandemic grow with the rapid spread of highly contagious variants.
- The Japanese government is set to decide Friday to strengthen restrictions on travelers arriving from India, where more contagious coronavirus variants have been raging, officials said.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 24~30
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