Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 13
- COVID-19 booster shots for Japan's general public will start sooner than initially scheduled amid a surge of new cases driven by the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, the health minister said Thursday.
- Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Thursday clusters of COVID-19 cases at U.S. military facilities in Japan have possibly caused a resurgence of infections in some areas of the country.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government projected Thursday that the seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases will surge to 9,576 daily in a week if cases increase at the current pace, as an apparent sixth wave of the coronavirus pandemic hits the capital.
- The Japanese government is considering shortening the current 14-day isolation period for those who have been identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case, officials said Thursday.
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 12
- Japan's daily count of coronavirus cases exceeded 10,000 on Wednesday for the first time in over four months, as the sixth wave of the pandemic spurred by the virus's Omicron variant continues to spread across the country.
- Tokyo confirmed on Wednesday 2,198 new daily coronavirus cases, the largest number of new infections in over four months, as the sixth wave of the pandemic spurred by the Omicron variant continues to spread.
- The twin giant pandas born at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens last year made their public debut Wednesday, but will be on view for only three days and to a limited number of visitors amid a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - January 1~7
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)