Osaka Prefecture decided Wednesday to raise its coronavirus alert to the highest of three levels starting Thursday, after its daily infection count hit a record 25,762 Tuesday amid a fresh wave of COVID-19.

The prefectural government will call on elderly people, who are more likely to develop severe symptoms if infected, to refrain from nonessential outings, and on their family members who live with them to avoid actions that could raise the risks of infection until Aug. 27.

The alert level will be raised to red from yellow for the first time since late April, as Osaka's hospital bed occupancy rate was expected to rise above 50% Wednesday. The prefectural government had said it would raise the level if the rate reached 50%.

But Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said he will not ask the central government to impose quasi-emergency measures on the prefecture.

On Tuesday, the nationwide daily count totaled 196,500, the second-highest tally since the start of the pandemic, after hitting a record 200,975 late last week.

Record daily infections were reported in 14 of the 47 prefectures. A total of 115 deaths were reported, exceeding 100 for the first time since late March.

Tokyo logged 31,593 new cases, up by about 20,000 from a week ago. The metropolitan government raised the capital's COVID-19 alert to the highest of four levels on July 14.

Japan has not imposed restrictions on people's movement despite grappling with a record-setting seventh wave of infections driven by the highly transmissible BA.5 omicron subvariant.

On Tuesday, the prefecture reported that 12 people, ranging from their 30s to 90s, had died of COVID-19.