The number of cases recorded in Osaka surpass the number in Tokyo for the first time.
Osaka and Hyogo prefectures are again experiencing a steep surge in the number of novel coronavirus infections, causing many experts to warn that daily new infections in a fourth wave may double those of the third wave.
Their concerns reflect the situation in Britain where a variant accelerated the spread of infections. At the peak of the third wave, the daily number of newly infected people was 654 in Osaka Prefecture on Jan. 8 and 324 in Hyogo Prefecture on Jan. 9. Doubling these peak figures would mean 1,300 new cases in one day in Osaka and 600 in Hyogo In Osaka Prefecture, the average number of new infection cases in the seven days to March 30 increased sharply to 2.2 times that of the previous 'seven-day period. The Osaka prefectural government has estimated that if this average continues to double in the seven days from March 31, the number is estimated to be 891 cases on Friday.
“Experts warn that daily new infections in a fourth wave may double those of the third wave.”
The greatest concern is the spread of variants that are said to be more infectious than the conventional type. According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, Hyogo Prefecture had the highest cumulative number of people infected with variants at 181 as of March 30, followed by Osaka Prefecture at 130. Among the U.K., South African and Brazilian variants confirmed in Japan the U.K. variant accounts for all cases in both prefectures. The latest situation regarding variants is believed to be partly due to the fact that young people have become more active in the prefectures where the state of emergency was lifted ahead of schedule at the end of February.