Japan appears to be experiencing its 11th wave of COVID-19 infections, with new infections increasing for 10 consecutive weeks amid the rise of a highly transmissible new coronavirus variant.
As other infectious diseases are also spreading — such as hand, foot and mouth disease, which is growing at a record pace, mostly among children — the health ministry is calling for people to take basic infection control measures, such as washing hands and wearing face masks when necessary.
COVID-19 cases have been increasing since early May. The total number of new cases in regularly monitored medical institutions across the country reached 55,072 in the week through July 14, according to the ministry.