New Coronavirus Cases Keep Rising Slightly in Japan: Panel

Tokyo, Oct. 28 (Jiji Press)--The number of newly confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection in Japan has been rising slightly since early this month, a health ministry panel of experts said Wednesday. The panel also warned that cluster infections are occurring in various settings. Across the nation, the number of people who tested positive for the coronavirus virus per population of 100,000 stood at 2.84 in the week to Oct. 12, 2.95 in the week to Oct. 19 and 3.21 in the week to Monday. The effective reproduction number, or the average number of people to whom an infected person transmits the virus, has been staying slightly above 1.0, which signals a spread of the virus nationwide. By prefecture, the number as of Oct. 11 stood at 1.9 in Hokkaido, 0.75 in Tokyo, 1.04 in Aichi, 1.39 in Osaka, 0.96 in Fukuoka and 1.83 in Okinawa. The board noted that cluster infections have occurred in dining sessions and workplaces, and among groups of foreign nationals living in Japan. The board underlined the need to provide foreign nationals with relevant information according to their languages and cultures. END