Kanagawa prefectural officials offer a silent prayer on Dec. 15 for a man who died from COVID-19 at a facility in their prefecture where he was moved after contracting the virus. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
A total of 122 of the people police have found dead in their homes or outdoors since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Japan early last year were infected with the novel coronavirus, the National Police Agency said.
In December alone, 56 of the dead were found to have the virus.
Though the virus may have killed the victims, the NPA said it was difficult to confirm it.
Whenever a death is reported, police investigate the cause to determine if foul play was involved, with the exception of people who died of an illness while being treated by a doctor.
Tokyo’s Shinbashi district on Dec. 12, an area normally bustling with people attending year-end parties (Yuji Masuyama)
A health ministry expert panel on Dec. 22 said authorities in the greater Tokyo area must do more to reduce business operating hours and prevent travel to halt the widening spread of novel coronavirus infections.
“The proliferation in large cities is spilling over to other areas in the country, resulting in rising infections nationwide,” said the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s panel of experts on the virus.
The panel said concerns are rising over whether medical facilities will be able to treat patients with not only COVID-19 but also other diseases during the year-end and New Year’s holiday period, when many clinics and hospitals are closed.