Okinawa Reports 16 Cluster - Related Deaths
Japan's southern prefecture of Okinawa says 16 people have died in a cluster of coronavirus infections at a public-run hospital in Uruma City.
The head of the prefectural government's department of public health and medical care, Oshiro Reiko, reported the death toll at a prefectural assembly session on Wednesday.
The prefecture had announced this month that a cluster of infections involving five cases occurred at a medical institution in the city.
Oshiro revealed that the institution was public-run Okinawa Chubu Hospital, which has been accepting coronavirus patients with symptoms too severe for other hospitals to handle.
The official said the cluster involved 50 people -- 36 inpatients and 14 staff members.
The prefecture publicized the cases and deaths other than the five infections it had initially announced without linking them to the cluster. It had not disclosed 10 of the 16 deaths.
Oshiro said an investigation has been ongoing since the cluster occurred on May 25, and that the prefecture has no intention of carrying out a cover-up.
She added that the prefecture is following the procedures of confirming with the bereaved families before publicizing the deaths.