Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
Protesters calling for the cancellation of the Tokyo Paralympics amid the coronavirus pandemic gather near the National Stadium in Tokyo on Aug. 24, 2021, just before the games' opening ceremony. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 25
- Indonesia will offer booster shots of vaccines against the novel coronavirus early next year after all of the targeted population have been vaccinated, a Cabinet minister said Wednesday.
- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said during her trip to Vietnam on Wednesday that the United States will provide an additional 1 million coronavirus vaccine doses to the country to help it fight the pandemic.
- The Japanese government decided Wednesday to bring eight more prefectures under its COVID-19 state of emergency as the country grapples with its largest wave of infections.
- Schools across Japan are stepping up measures against student suicides that have been on the rise amid the coronavirus pandemic, holding sessions about mental health and using technology to help students report their moods.
- Japan's top COVID-19 adviser on Wednesday criticized International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach for visiting Tokyo again to attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympics.
- Road races during a pandemic present a unique challenge: not so much in the management of crowds but more so in preventing them from forming at all.
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 24
- The Tokyo Paralympics opened on Tuesday night following a one-year postponement, with questions unanswered over whether it is safe to hold the world's largest event for athletes with disabilities during a public health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Japan plans to expand the COVID-19 state of emergency covering Tokyo and 12 other areas to eight more prefectures as it looks to quell the country's largest wave of infections, government sources said Tuesday.
- Some Tokyoites said Tuesday they remain unsure about the Paralympics being held in their city when a COVID-19 state of emergency remains in place and while the capital and other areas of Japan are experiencing surging infections.
- Three-time Paralympic champion Markus "Blade Jumper" Rehm is well aware of the widespread concern in Japan about hosting the Tokyo Games amid the coronavirus pandemic, but he has promised to do his part to protect public health.
- U.S. health authorities said Monday they have granted full approval for the Pfizer Inc. COVID-19 vaccine, making it the first such vaccine in the country where three have been administered under emergency use to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Aug 14~20
The final runners of the Tokyo Paralympic torch relay, (from L) powerlifer Karin Morisaki, wheelchair tennis player Yui Kamiji and boccia player Shunsuke Uchida, are pictured after lighting the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the games on Aug. 24, 2021, at the National Stadium in Tokyo. (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
