TOKYO, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Japan's health ministry and local governments said that 2,989 people had been infected with the COVID-19 virus in Japan as of Friday evening, with the daily number of new infections topping 200 for a fourth straight day adding to concerns the healthcare system here could buckle.
The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at a total of 86 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.
Of the 2,989 confirmed COVID-19 infections in Japan, 773 cases are in Japan's capital city of Tokyo, with 89 new cases confirmed Friday, amid concerns about spikes in urban areas in Japan overloading the healthcare system.
The Tokyo metropolitan government along with healthcare specialists have said the number of hospital beds available for coronavirus patients will soon reach capacity, with the health ministry rapidly trying to secure more.
Adding to pressure on the government to demonstrably bolster its preventive and counter measures to the spread of the virus, a panel of government experts warned this week the country's healthcare system could collapse if coronavirus cases here continue to spike.
The healthcare system in Tokyo and four other prefectures is under increased strain and "drastic countermeasures need to be taken as quickly as possible," the experts concluded.
Recent spikes in infection rates in the capital and other urban areas have seen calls from regional authorities for people to work from home as far as possible, regularly clean their hands, avoid crowded places and conversations in close quarters, and avoid going outside unnecessarily, especially in the evenings, but the central government has yet to declare a state of emergency over the situation.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has taken a cautious approach to declaring a state of emergency as doing so could infringe on the rights of people, although the prime minister has acknowledged that, "It's critically important to prevent a sharp rise in cases in the Tokyo metropolitan area with a large population, which is at the center of economic activity."
Abe has said that COVID-19 infections across Japan are not at a point necessitating a declaration of a state of emergency, although he has stated the nation is "on the brink."
"At this point, we have not seen infections spreading rapidly and widely across the country. We are just about holding the line," Abe said in parliament a day earlier.
"But if we lower our guard now even a little, infections could accelerate suddenly at any moment. We continue to be on the brink," the Japanese leader said.
As cases in Tokyo continue to rise, those in Osaka Prefecture are also spiraling, with 311 new infections confirmed Friday, followed by Tokyo's neighboring prefecture of Chiba with 206 cases. Kanagawa Prefecture, meanwhile, recorded 205 COVID-19 cases, the latest figures showed.
The health ministry also said there are currently a total of 72 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 added that in total, 1,124 people have been discharged from hospitals after their symptoms improved, according to the latest figures released Thursday evening.
