Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 7
- Japan's health minister said Tuesday the country has boosted its medical capacity so it can admit 37,000 patients at hospitals, up 30 percent from this summer, in preparation for a possible resurgence of the coronavirus.
- New York City said Monday it will require all private-sector workers to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus starting later this month amid growing fear of spread of the Omicron variant, becoming the first U.S. city to announce such a blanket mandate for COVID-19 shots.
As of 11 p.m., Monday, Dec. 6
- Japan has confirmed its first case of a Japanese national infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, marking the third case in the country, government sources said Monday.
- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday vowed to "prepare for the worst" in dealing with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus while still moving swiftly to get the economy back on track.
- Japan's government on Monday submitted to parliament a draft extra budget for fiscal 2021 worth a record 36.0 trillion yen ($320 billion) to partially finance its latest economic package, aiming to help the economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Nov. 27~Dec. 3
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Health ministry call center
COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free)
COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free)
-Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; for Thai 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; for Vietnamese 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - Health ministry's COVID-19 Vaccine Navigation website
https://v-sys.mhlw.go.jp/en/ - 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)