New coronavirus cases in Tokyo soar to 2,447; nationwide tally 7,570

Wow! EOM

nobody should be surprised.

This is crazy the Japanese government are killing the people

I think the numbers will continue to climb in the next week or two as people who got infected on New Years Day from Hatsumode Shrine visits will start to show symptoms. I really hope Suga changes his mind and does a SOE AT LEAST as restrictive as the one in March. Otherwise, we are in deep doggie do

kind of expected. first results from full testing after the holidays I suppose.

FYI, yesterday's 1,591 cases were from 4,477 tests conducted on Jan 3, as said in the article.

So, I'm assuming today's results are from the 15,374 tests conducted on Jan 4.

https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/

Time to go shopping!

But offering restaurant establishments 60,000 to limit their hours to 7 or 8 in the evening is sure to flatten the curve!

@therougou

15,374 tests?

Wow! Highest test amount ever!

(If this information is correct)

Such LOW number of tests coming back with that number of positives? JHC.

With the cold weather hitting hard and the holidays. Folks not staying home. I am surprised the numbers are not higher.

I am grateful they are not. But still. Its called a pandemic for a reason. The Japanese government need to up their game and get things on point. Sugadaddies governmental response has been an utter failure and a cluster fudge.

Is the virus mutating out of control because of the current leaky vaccines that may need to be changed with each mutation (we don't know)? Is it possible? Coronavirus says, "holding my beer."

New on here but always read everyone’s comments.

have to wonder if these numbers are because of the new year home trips people took or because the government are finally showing us the real severity of the pandemic, maybe a mixture of both?

9 months to prepare for this and they have done nothing. All that money wasted on the Olympics preparation instead of trained doctors, nurses, hospital equipment etc.

No surprise at all

Tip of the iceberg.

Mindo takai ne. LOL. Human after all. Wear YOUR mask.

Too little too late

If an Influenza strain and corona strain hook up and mutate and a make another variant.

How can their be any doubt that this virus was not designed to bio weapon. Can that happen scientifically?

engineered as a weapon?

But offering restaurant establishments 60,000 to limit their hours to 7 or 8 in the evening is sure to flatten the curve!

Hope the 60,000 yen is based on the average sales per day of the establishments else some will be

profiteering from Covid-19 at the expense of others. A small restaurant that on average makes 30,000yen a day getting 60,000yen a day won't even have to open.

Could you imagine if they actually started testing like other countries, how high their numbers would go!

Japan needs to do a hard lock down like the U.K. and start vaccinating ASAP!

Canada has done 3 times more tests than Japan and they have less than 1/3 Japan's population!

In Japan the current average is +/- 5000 tests per day.

Japan said many months ago, that it aims to ramp up the testing to around 60,000 as well, but nothing has happened.

Even on the weekends they tests 10,000 or so. Around 50,000 - 60,000 on weekdays. The data is available in English, so no need to fabricate.

https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html

Japan with its massive wealth and resources is a serious laughing stock.

There are over 16 countries presently vaccinating their populations at present.

India is even copying the Astra Zeneca vaccine by the millions!

And Japan?

Simian Lane

And now for some much needed perspective. The Czech Republic is a relatively small country and is clocking over 12,000 new infections a day. I’m not saying 2,000 is wonderful, I’m just saying this daily increase reporting isn’t horrifying this reader or making him do anything different to what he was doing last week. I care more about temperature drop, then wear a warm jacket.

When comparing cases in Japan/Tokyo, to cases in other country or a city, please take into consideration also the amount of tests done:

The Czech Republic is first of all offering free tests to its citizens. Japan/Tokyo is not.

The Czech Republic is performing 4.20 tests per thousand people.

Japan is performing 0.25 tests per thousand people.

The Czech Health Ministry is aiming to provide 60,000 tests per day, up from the current average of 28,000.

In Japan the current average is +/- 5000 tests per day. Japan said many months ago, that it aims to ramp up the testing to around 60,000 as well, but nothing has happened.

Also, where do you think the virus has more opportunities to spread? In a country or a city with scarce population and where strict measures against the spread of the virus are taken (Czech Rep.), or a country or a city with extremely dense population, where pretty much no measures against the virus are taken (Tokyo/Japan)?

@Vinke: I agree with your post, except that the test numbers of 5000 is for Tokyo, not all of Japan.

Is the virus mutating out of control because of the current leaky vaccines that may need to be changed with each mutation (we don't know)? Is it possible? Coronavirus says, "holding my beer."

As likely as thinking the virus is giving people superpowers (so, no). Badly understanding a process (that happens naturally in the infection) is a terribly basis to try to explain anything.

If an Influenza strain and corona strain hook up and mutate and a make another variant.

How can their be any doubt that this virus was not designed to bio weapon. Can that happen scientifically?

engineered as a weapon?

Scientifically speaking is not possible, and the evidence points to a perfectly natural process for the virus to appear, the same as it has happened before, and as predicted for decades by experts. Thinking it "must" be a weapon is like thinking hurricanes "must" be one.

Numbers for other countries are not important, the worry in Japan is about how the pandemic is or not under control, if you you are in your house and begin to see smoke around it will not matter if a block away another building is on fire.

@Monty

15,374 tests?

Wow! Highest test amount ever!

(If this information is correct)

I doubt they would give false information, but that was the number of tests, not people tested.

The nationwide site lists the number of people tested in Tokyo as 8,078

https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html

Please stay safe!

@Martini

@Vinke: I agree with your post, except that the test numbers of 5000 is for Tokyo, not all of Japan.

True, that was a typo!

https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html

Nationwide for 1/4:

PCR tested: 84,338

PCR tests: 33,767

Am I missing something here? There should be more tests than tested people, so this data seems incomplete.

Articles on this website related to Covid19 constantly remind us that Japan's number of infections have been lower than other countries and it's SOEs / lockdowns less severe.

From that picture, we can see all wear masks. How can the figures increase ?

@Reckless

Wash hands, gargle, wear mask, back to work!!!

That is exactly what I am doing and going to do Man.

If you're not familiar with the meaning of the term "exponential growth", you really should look it up.

Yep, what matters is how fast it's doubling, not whether you think the daily number is significant at the present moment. The increase between yesterday and what we will hear later today is equal to what was the record not many days ago.

The worrying aspect is there does not appear to be any clear reason why the disease has started spreading when it wasn't back in October. The disease has also started spreading among a much younger demographic. If it is this new variant, we could be looking at a whole new ball game where what we experienced in 2020 does not apply.

From that picture, we can see all wear masks. How can the figures increase ?

Other countries are doing something called social distancing. Sensibly keeping distance between people. As you can see in the picture, 200 people crammed into one train all exiting at the same time isn't a great idea.

Lock up ya grandma

I am waiting for some smart comments from Taro Aso about the situation. He has been strangely very quiet recently

@Nothernlife

My opinion is still the same.

Lockdown is not necessary.

People must be sensitized in doing their best personal preventions.

My personal preventions since the beginning of the pandemic:

Number One: Wear a mask!

Number Two: Keep social distance where it is possible. (In my morning trains, I try to stand close to the doors or open windows, on escalators I wait till everyone is already gone up or down)

Number Three: Use hand sanitizers

Number Four: Wash your hands regular

Number five: Avoid Girls Bars

Number seven: Use Izakayas and Restaurants which implements best preventions. (Separate tables, fever measure before enter the shop, Staff wears mask, separater on tables, desinfection of the tables after customer leaves...)

Number Six: Wait for the effective vaccine

And from tomorrow, I continue to support my Mom and Pops Izakaya in my neigbourhood, by visiting them before 8pm or by "Take out".

ModeratorToday 03:28 pm JST

The number of tests on Jan 4 was 15,374.

Highest test amount ever!

Just to say it..

...and now you all can go on and tear me apart...

Japan has one of the lowest test levels in the G12. Very poor. Plus, you have to pay!

no no no. i am very VERY disappointed that more people werent following the various guidances and advices on how to prevent the spread.

Pathetic failure of a government.

Here’s hoping that countries start to pull out of the Olympics. These idiots don’t deserve to host them.

no no no. i am very VERY disappointed that more people werent following the various guidances and advices on how to prevent the spread.

People like Mr Suga and all his dinosaur chums?

@Monty

Thanks. You're right shouldn't take it personally. :)

Suga sure did mess up this time. Um, Covid number seem to be going up.... I can't believe they think closing restaurants at 8pm will solve anything.

Trains will still be full of people going to the office, because xyz kk is still using windows Vista and doesn't support remote working.

Consistent with the 33% positivity rate for testing announced yesterday. But hey, no mandatory closures, keep going to school, riding the trains, going to enkais like half the politicians did over the holidays...

A small restaurant that on average makes 30,000yen a day getting 60,000yen a day won't even have to open.

It's almost like they want the restaurants not to open, eh?

the big snow is too late. i hope it will come tonight and cover the whole country. so that people cant go out.

Nipponglory: "i am very VERY disappointed that more people werent following the various guidances and advices on how to prevent the spread."

The guidance they gave about not going out to restaurants in groups and then going out for steak dinners and/or joining enkais? And hey, none of the "guidance" that they themselves refuse to follow is law, and if restaurants close down voluntarily they get little to no assistance.

The number is the result of 15,374 tests conducted on Jan 4.

This number is pathetic.

Two things:

Government needs to be transparent and address low testing numbers.

Government needs to be transparent and explain why they won’t fast-track emergency use of vaccines for medical and other key workers.

Increase testing and introduce vaccine today is what’ needed. We all know the limits of the SOE, difficulty in social distancing in densely populated cities here.

increased testing to globally standard levels and vaccine introduction are two immediate measures that should be taken. If they won’t be taken, the public needs to know why.

@monty

spot on again mate - totally agree.

But alas, our opinion counts for nothing

Nationwide, the number of reported cases was 7,490.

That is a 25% increase from January 6's reported total of 6,000 new cases.

Time for the politicians to get their collective act in order.

Thanks to God, it did not hit 10.000.

Suga who prioritized economy than human safe had done nothing against Covid-19 since start of his regime last September.

@Wobot: the hospitals in Tokyo are 88% full and the medical system about to collapse. Your post makes no sense in the real world scenario.

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210107/p2a/00m/0na/018000c

Number five: Avoid Girls Bars

Hmm.. Interesting perspective!

So the very same urge that help us procreate is also a germ super spreader and is trying to kill us.

Like a built in planet crowd control ...

Any conspiracy theories on underreporting now ?

In the picture you see a herd of Japanese going to work or returning from work at a train station all wear mask feeling overly protective like the virus is no threat. This is proof that wearing masks alone is not 100% effective in which many many wish to believe. If Masks were so effective in prenvetion why the numbe raising all of a sudden? fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me

Say goodbye to the Olympics.

Japanese government thinks corona only spreads at night time, corona is sleeping when trains are packed with people shopping malls full of people......... don’t go out on weekends but work and do overtime and die