Coronavirus pandemic latest: July 23, 2022

People wearing face masks walk in Osaka on July 22, 2022. (Kyodo)

<July 22, 2022>

• Japan’s daily coronavirus cases exceeded 190,000 on Friday, hitting a new record for the third consecutive day, official data showed, as Japan experiences a seventh wave of infections driven by the BA.5 Omicron subvariant.
• Third-ranked maegashira Tamawashi, who has not missed a single bout in his 18-year career, has withdrawn from the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament due to a positive coronavirus case in his Kataonami stable, the Japan Sumo Association said Friday. The 37-year-old Mongolian wrestler’s streak of 1,448 consecutive contests fought since his sumo debut in January 2004 is the fourth longest all-time. His streak is expected to be officially kept alive, however, as the JSA has supported COVID-19-related medical exemptions.

<July 21, 2022>

• U.S. President Joe Biden tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday and is experiencing “very mild symptoms,” the White House said.
  
  
• Japan’s daily COVID-19 cases exceeded 180,000 on Thursday, setting a record for the second straight day, according to a Kyodo News tally, as all-time-high numbers were reported in 35 of the country’s 47 prefectures amid the nation’s seventh wave of infections.
• Three anti-coronavirus drugs prescribed in Japan, including molnupiravir, may be effective against the Omicron subvariant BA.5, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday.
• Tokyo reported a record number of daily coronavirus cases of over 30,000 on Thursday, far exceeding the previous record logged in early February of 21,562.
• Entering the third summer in the shadows of COVID-19, gyms across Japan are coming face to face with a mask dilemma as they juggle ideas to prevent the spread of infection while worrying about severe summer heat.

<July 20, 2022>

<July 18, 2022>

<July 17, 2022>

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Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan

• Health ministry call center 
  COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free)
  COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free)
  -Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; for Thai 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; for Vietnamese 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
• Health ministry’s COVID-19 Vaccine Navigation website
  https://v-sys.mhlw.go.jp/en/
  
  
• AMDA Medical Information Center’s “Multilingual Consultation Service”
  – Available in Simple Japanese and English, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
  03-6233-9266 
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s COVID-19 info
  https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
  https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/contacts
  – Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (including weekends and holidays)
  0570-550571
  – Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
  03-5388-1396
• Japan National Tourism Organization’s “Guide for when you are feeling ill”
  – Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
  https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html
• JNTO’s “Japan Visitor Hotline“
  https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/
  – Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
  050-3816-2787 
  +81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas)

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