There are likely many factors behind Tokyo's dramatic fall in new COVID-19 cases, but research shows that one group may be playing a surprising role in ending the fifth wave: the unvaccinated.

Since the peak of the capital's largest wave of infections, many unvaccinated people have stayed away from places where the virus can spread more easily, such as bars and pubs, a metropolitan government’s researcher has said.

The importance of avoiding such hot spots has been gaining traction since a U.S. study showed just a fraction of places account for the overwhelming majority of infections. The study led by a Stanford University team and other researchers analyzed mobile-phone GPS data and mapped the hourly movements of 98 million people to points of interests such as full-service restaurants and religious establishments.