Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 9:20 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 8
- A total of 323 coronavirus infections were recorded during the Tokyo Paralympics, bringing the combined total for the Paralympics and Olympics to 878 since July 1, the games' organizing committee announced Wednesday, the same day the athletes' village officially closed.
- The Japanese government plans to relax curbs to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic on travel, large-scale events and the serving of alcohol around November provided that people are mostly vaccinated, sources with knowledge of the plan said Wednesday.
- For much of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia and New Zealand have been lauded for successfully seeking zero community transmissions of coronavirus through strict border measures that saw their citizens live with relative freedoms.
- The Japan Football Association has decided to relinquish its right to host this year's Club World Cup due to the COVID-19 restriction6s and is in discussion with FIFA, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 7
- Japan will receive 150 million doses of U.S. pharmaceutical giant Novavax Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine from as early as the beginning of 2022, the health ministry said Tuesday.
- Japan is considering a wide usage of so-called vaccine passports for commercial purposes as part of efforts to regularize domestic social and economic activities that have long been stagnant due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a draft government plan.
- A 49-year-old man in Japan died last month after he was administrated a dose of Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine that was among batches later recalled from use by its distributor in the country, the health ministry said Monday.
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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