Japan has confirmed 231,499 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the first daily tally above 200,000 in six days and a decrease of 18,853 from a week before.
New cases hit records in 15 of the country’s 47 prefectures, including Aichi and Kagoshima. There were 286 new deaths linked to COVID-19 across the country.
The number of patients with severe symptoms rose by 13 from Tuesday to 627, according to the health ministry.
In Tokyo, 29,416 new cases were reported, a decline of 4,827 from a week before. There were 25 new fatalities.
The number of severely ill patients in the capital fell by one from Tuesday to 35. The seven-day average of new cases shrank 17.7 pct from a week before to 24,889.