New coronavirus cases among the elderly are increasing while those with severe symptoms and deaths are also on the rise, an advisory panel of experts to the health ministry says, as Japan braces for its eighth wave of infections.
The Japanese government has selected 17 projects led by companies and universities to support manufacturing of vaccines when a pandemic breaks out, the industry minister says.
Japan s cumulative total of coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic tops 20 million, official data show, doubling in less than two months as the country battles its seventh wave of infections.
The Japanese government decides to introduce penalties for major hospitals that fail to provide outpatient care and prepare beds for patients with COVID-19 and other infectious diseases against prearrangements with local governments.
Japan s daily coronavirus tally totals 95,916 cases, falling below 100,000 for the first time in six weeks. While numbers for Mondays are typically lower than for other days du