The Tokyo metropolitan government reported on Friday 570 new coronavirus infections, pushing up its monthly tally for November to the highest on record, Kyodo reported. The figure, which surpassed 539 logged last Saturday, brought the number of infections confirmed in Tokyo in November to 8,567, topping 8,125 in August and reflecting the growing severity of infections in the capital. The capital's tally now stands at around 40,000 cases, with the number of people suffering severe COVID-19 symptoms rising by one from the previous day to 61 people, the highest level since a state of emergency declared over the pandemic was lifted in late May. As test results can take a few days to confirm, Friday's figure reflects the outcomes of a record of over 9,000 tests conducted on Tuesday following a three-day weekend through Monday. Daily infection figures tend to be low at the start of the week, as many medical institutions do not conduct testing for the virus on weekends. The metropolitan government is believed to have increased the number of tests on Tuesday to account for the national holiday on Monday. Across the country, the number of new infections rose by over 2,500 on Friday, bringing the nationwide tally to around 143,000. More than 2,000 deaths have been reported. Among other prefectures with a high number of infections reports, Osaka reported 383 new infections on Friday, while Hokkaido saw 252 and Aichi logged a daily record of 234. "(The situation) has gone beyond the stage of relying on the individual cooperation of the public," said Shigeru Omi, head of the central government's panel on virus countermeasures, at a meeting Friday. Stressing the need for the central and prefectural governments to strengthen their measures, he warned that hospitals are struggling to provide other medical treatments while coping with the virus. Tokyo has been logging record numbers of virus infections, with more than 500 daily cases recorded for three straight days last week. — SPA
