Tokyo confirmed 256 coronavirus infections on Saturday, topping the 200 mark for the third straight day, while seeing an uptick in the number of severe cases.
The cumulative tally in Tokyo stands at 19,121, with 350 deaths reported as of Friday.
Saturday's confirmed cases are mainly based on 4,817 tests conducted on Wednesday.
But what’s alarming the capital now is an uptick in the number of severely ill patients.
As of Saturday, the number of COVID-19 patients who need a ventilator or an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) system were 37, although the figure had fluctuated from around 20 to 25 up until last Sunday.
The total number of those being hospitalized came to 1,565 as of Friday.
The Tokyo government has boosted the bed capacity for COVID-19 patients to 2,500 from 2,400, including 150 beds for severely ill patients.
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