Omi Calls The Virus Surge A Fourth Wave
The head of the Japanese government's advisory panel on the coronavirus says the latest surge in infections in Japan can be described as a fourth wave.
Omi Shigeru spoke about the issue on Wednesday at a Diet committee meeting.
Omi said bolstered anti-infection measures should be issued in a swift and timely manner, in view of the prevalence of mutated strains of the virus.
In reference to the situation in Osaka Prefecture, where the daily tally of new cases surpassed 1,000 for the first time on Tuesday, Omi said new infections may decrease sooner or later given a downward trend in foot traffic.
He pointed out that the largest problem is a possible rise in the number of serious cases, which could surpass the number of beds available for such patients.
He went on to say if the intensive measures, already in place for Osaka as well as five other prefectures, are not effective enough, the government should identify the reasons and decide whether to declare yet another state of emergency or take stronger steps within the scope of the existing measures. He added a state of emergency is obviously an option.