Tokyo's COVID-19 Medical System Alert Level Lowered

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)--The Tokyo metropolitan government lowered its COVID-19 alert level for the Japanese capital's medical system on Thursday, reflecting a decrease in hospitalizations. The alert was lowered by a notch from the highest level of four for the first time in 10 months. The metropolitan government also downgraded its alert for COVID-19 infections to the third-highest level. The seven-day average of new infections stood at 158.7 as of Wednesday, around 3 pct of its August peak. The number of hospitalizations dropped by 430 from a week earlier to 751, while the number of severely ill patients fell to 77. "We need to gradually lift restrictions on ordinary care and balance it with COVID-19 care," Masataka Inokuchi, deputy head of the Tokyo Medical Association, told metropolitan government officials in a meeting. The metropolitan government plans to reduce the number of hospital beds set aside for COVID-19 treatment from a maximum of 6,651 to some 4,000. Some experts warned that the number of people going out at night has spiked since the Japanese government lifted its COVID-19 state of emergency on Friday. "We call on people to take thorough precautions," such as avoiding going to crowded places, in order to prevent a sixth wave of infections, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said. END