As the coronavirus outbreak soars to new heights in and around Tokyo, a desperate race between the delta variant and the country’s vaccine rollout is forcing the central government and local municipalities to adjust course.
Tokyo reported an unprecedented 3,177 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the capital’s highest ever daily count. The capital's long-standing record — which was broken on Tuesday with 2,848 cases — was set on Jan. 7, when the city logged 2,520 during the peak of the country’s third wave.
On Wednesday, all three prefectures bordering Tokyo hit record daily highs, NHK reported, with Kanagawa logging 1,051 cases, Saitama posting 870 and Chiba confirming 577 infections. Ibaraki Prefecture, which borders Chiba, also hit a record-high, with 194 cases. The country also reported over 9,500 new cases, its highest-ever daily count, according to Kyodo News.