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HEALTH-VIRUS-JAPAN
COVID-19 infections in Japan climb over 1,000
TOKYO, March 21, 2020 (BSS/XINHUA) – Japan’s health ministry and local
governments said on Saturday that the number of COVID-19 infections
nationwide had risen to 1,016 cases as of 9:00 p.m. Friday local time.
The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands
at a total of 43 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 1,016 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan, the majority are in Japan’s
northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, which has confirmed 158 cases, followed
by Aichi Prefecture with 139 confirmed cases, Tokyo 129, Osaka 123, Hyogo 101
and Kanagawa Prefecture 68 cases, according to the latest statistics from the
health ministry and local authorities.
The health ministry said there are currently a total of 61 patients
considered severely ill and are on ventilators to receive respiratory
assistance or have been admitted to intensive care units for medical
treatment.
A total of 766 people have been discharged from hospitals after their
symptoms improved, the ministry added.
BSS/XINHUA/FI/ 1219 hrs