The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 239 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, exceeding 200 cases for the sixth straight day.
Elsewhere, Hyogo Prefecture saw 49 infections, its highest single-day number, while Aichi Prefecture reported 80 new cases, according to NHK. Fukuoka Prefecture recorded 90, which is also a record high. Osaka Prefecture confirmed 141 cases, topping 100 for the fifth straight day.
While Sunday marked the end of a four-day weekend, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike had asked Tokyoites to refrain from nonessential outings.
With the rise in cases, the capital is boosting its the capacity of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients. The number of hospitalized patients has increased by almost fivefold in a month. As of Saturday, 1,105 people were hospitalized and 16 were seriously ill. The number of deaths stood at 328 in the capital.
Tokyo plans to boost the number of beds to 2,800 from 1,000. On Thursday, Koike said the city had secured 2,400 beds so far.
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