At least 15,058 people were on waiting lists for a hospital or designated accommodation after testing positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this month in the 11 prefectures covered by a state of emergency, a Kyodo News survey has found, as public health centers have been swamped with a surge in cases.

A growing number of patients on waiting lists have died at home.

The number waiting as of last Tuesday marks a sharp increase from a month earlier, including in Tokyo, where it almost quintupled. Local public health centers are tasked with arranging hospitalization or accommodation for people infected with the virus.