Tokyo registers another 748 new coronavirus infections on Dec. 23

TOKYO -- Japan's capital recorded 748 coronavirus cases on Dec. 23, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said.

The new daily tally came after Tokyo saw 563 cases on Dec. 22. Reported case numbers typically dip on Mondays following low testing figures over the weekend, especially on Sundays.

Tokyo is battling a third wave of coronavirus infections following earlier surges in April and August. It registered a daily high of 822 infections on Dec. 17.

The capital saw an average of 437.7 new cases per day in the first week of December. The figure climbed to 503.9 in the second week and 615.4 in the third. Tokyo has already recorded 12,198 coronavirus cases in December alone, surpassing the previous monthly record of 9,857 set in November, when new infections averaged 328.6 per day, and the second-wave peak of 8,126 cases in August, or about 262 per day on average.

Altogether Tokyo has reported over 53,000 infections, the most among Japan's 47 prefectures, with the overall death toll in the capital reaching 568 as of Dec. 22. Also, as of the same day, there were 2,093 patients hospitalized in Tokyo with COVID-19, 64 with severe symptoms.

(Mainichi)