Merely two months after the peak of the sixth wave, coronavirus infections are already rebounding in Japan, with experts again urging people to stay vigilant by getting vaccine booster shots, wearing masks and avoiding crowded places.
The seven-day average of new COVID-19 infections stood at 46,594 as of Tuesday, up from 43,250 the week before and increasing for two weeks in a row. New infections had been gradually declining for several weeks after the government in January began implementing quasi-emergency measures, which restricted business hours for restaurants and some activities.
The lifting of those measures nationwide in late March, an uptick in people’s movement around the April start of the new school and business year, and the spread of the highly transmissible BA.2 omicron subvariant are seen as factors behind the rebound. Experts said the situation needs close monitoring given that new cases are increasing in all age groups, but particularly among teens and those in their 20s.