Tokyo Reports 500 New Cases Of Coronavirus
In Japan, health authorities are taking more measures against the virus as infections rise... with Tokyo reporting 500 new cases on Wednesday.
More than 41,000 people have now tested positive for the virus in the capital. Fifty-nine are currently in serious condition.
The Metropolitan Government is preparing to open a hospital in mid-December specializing in coronavirus patients with non-severe symptoms.
It will have 100 beds. The air pressure of each room can be lowered so the virus will not spread outside.
The hospital will be equipped with six voice translation machines that can interpret for 58 languages.
The head of the Japan Medical Association is warning that frontline healthcare workers are under great strain.
Nakagawa Toshio said, "If infections continue to increase rapidly, it will be difficult to provide medical services to both COVID-19 patients and people with other diseases. Actually, in some areas, some hospitals already find it difficult to continue accepting cancer, cardiac disease or cerebral stroke patients."
The central government is stepping up anti-virus measures, saying we're in a crucial period to curb the spike in cases.
More than 154,000 infections have been confirmed in Japan in total. Over 2,200 people have died.
