Record 901 people in Japan who died outside hospitals in Dec. had coronavirus
(Mainichi Japan)
TOKYO -- A total of 901 people who died outside of medical institutions across Japan in December 2022 were infected with the coronavirus, a record high, the National Police Agency has revealed to the Mainichi Shimbun.
The finding followed police examinations of the bodies of people who died due to deteriorating health or other causes outside of medical facilities. The number was up 554 from November and surpassed the previous monthly high of 869 set in August last year.
It is believed that the eighth wave of infections sweeping across the country is behind the record high figure for December.
By prefecture, Tokyo topped the list of these deaths at 111, followed by Osaka at 67, Chiba at 59, Hokkaido at 55, and Kanagawa at 52.
By place of discovery, 856 were found at home, elderly care facilities or other similar places, while 45 were found at locations they had visited.
By age, there were 337 deaths among those in their 80s, followed by 198 fatalities among those in their 70s and 188 deaths in their 90s.
(Japanese original by Atsushi Matsumoto, Tokyo City News Department)
