Tokyo confirmed 15 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, a day after counting just seven new cases, the lowest this year, as new infections continue to remain low with the vaccination rollout moving forward.
Tuesday's figure is down by 15 from a week earlier. The seven-day average of daily new cases came to 20.9, compared to 23.1 a week before.
The number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms under the metropolitan government's criteria was unchanged from Monday at 10. No deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday.
On Monday, Japan reported 79 new cases nationwide — the lowest figure in nearly a year and a half — and just one death, as the country’s robust vaccination rate is quelling infections even in the midst of reopening the economy.
The number of daily cases in the country has plunged from a peak of about 25,000 during the summer, while vaccinations have surged so much that Japan is now one of the most immunized developed countries in the world, with more than 75% of its population fully vaccinated.
Japan is now considered a low-risk destination for American travelers after it was moved on Monday to the lowest rung of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 travel advisory level.
The nation, one of the world’s oldest, has a relatively good record on surviving the pandemic, with 14.5 deaths per 100,000 people. That compares with about 230 deaths per 100,000 people in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center. Japan reported no deaths on Nov. 7, the first time in 15 months.