The average number of coronavirus patients among designated hospitals across Japan has been rising for 11 consecutive weeks, health ministry data showed Friday, with experts warning the country has entered its 10th COVID-19 wave.
The number of new influenza cases reported at designated medical institutions in Japan has surged 57% in the past week, health ministry data shows, marking an unusual trend for a virus usually prevalent during winter.
An updated COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant became available in Japan on Sept. 20 ahead of an expected surge in infections around the year-end holidays.
Japan's health ministry decides to reduce medical support for people infected with the novel coronavirus starting in October, as part of a broader plan to return the health care system to normal by next spring.
Over 80 percent of major companies in Japan expect the country's economy to expand in the next one year, supported by a recovery in personal consumption following the removal of COVID-19 restrictions, a Kyodo News survey shows