COVID-19: Infection cases in Japan rise to 837

Tokyo, March 17 (IANS) Japan’s health ministry and local governments said on Tuesday that the number of COVID-19 infections rose to 837 in the country as of 6.30 pm local time here.

The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at a total of 36 people, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.

The latest statistics showed that infections were confirmed for the first time in Ibaraki and Kagawa prefectures, and a total of 16 new cases were confirmed in Niigata, Gunma, Saitama, Kanagawa, Shiga, and Miyazaki prefectures, Xinhua reported.

Of the 837 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan, the majority are in Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, which has confirmed 152 cases and previously declared a state of emergency over the situation.

Aichi Prefecture, meanwhile, has 123 confirmed cases, Osaka 108, Tokyo 90, Hyogo 82 and Kanagawa Prefecture has confirmed 59 COVID-19 infections, according to the latest statistics from health ministry and local authorities.

The health ministry said there are currently 55 patients considered severely ill and are on ventilators to receive respiratory assistance or have been admitted to intensive care units for medical treatment.

The ministry also said that a total of 622 people have been discharged from hospitals after their symptoms improved.

–IANS

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