Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 10 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 1
- The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed Sunday 3,058 daily coronavirus cases, with public concern high over a surge in infections while the Olympics are under way in the capital.
- The CEO of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee said Sunday the COVID-19 situation among athletes and staff has been "within expectations," insisting that there is no link between the games and surging infections in the Japanese capital and beyond.
- The Japanese government on Sunday started administering COVID-19 vaccine shots at Narita and Haneda airports to citizens who return from abroad temporarily to be inoculated.
- Japan has signed an agreement with Mongolia to extend 883 million yen ($8 million) in grant aid to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic.
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, July 31
- Japan's daily total of COVID-19 cases surpassed 12,000 on Saturday, a record figure for the fourth straight day, triggering concerns about an explosive surge in infections while the Olympics are held in the capital.
- Two male judoka from Georgia have been ejected from the Tokyo Olympics for leaving the athletes village to go sightseeing in violation of COVID-19 protocols, a spokesperson for the country's Olympic committee said Saturday.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed a record 4,058 daily coronavirus cases Saturday, with a spike in infections causing concern while the Olympics are held in the capital.
- The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee said Saturday a person involved in the games has been stripped of accreditation for leaving the athletes' village to go sightseeing, in violation of its anti-COVID-19 rules.
- The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee on Saturday reported 21 more COVID-19 cases related to the games, none of them athletes, amid surging infections in the capital and some other parts of Japan.
- A new study by the U.S. health protection agency showed Friday that around three-quarters of the individuals infected with the novel coronavirus in outbreaks detected after large public events in a Massachusetts town had been fully vaccinated.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - July 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