Japan is seeing no resurgence of COVID-19 cases one month after the country relaxed restrictions and downgraded the disease to a lower-risk category under the law.
Still, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, said the number of cases is "rising moderately." The health ministry has called on people with high risks of developing severe symptoms to get vaccinated to better prepare for a resurgence in infections.
The country lowered the classification of COVID-19 to an infectious disease category that includes seasonal influenza under the infectious disease control law on May 8.
The average number of COVID-19 cases stood at 3.63 per hospital in the week through Sunday, up from 3.55 in the preceding week and 2.63 in the week before last, according to the ministry.
The number of cases has been "rising moderately since April," a ministry official said.
The data shows no signs of cases decreasing, Satoshi Kamayachi, a senior official at the Japan Medical Association, said at a news conference. "As acquired immunity weakens, caution is needed."
Matsuno said the government will continue to closely monitor the infection rate.
The government started its fiscal 2023 COVID-19 vaccination program for elderly people on May 8. Elderly and other people in high-risk groups can get a shot twice a year.
As of Tuesday, the inoculation rate for the latest round of vaccinations through the program among people age 65 or older stood at only 21.1%.
A senior ministry official said infection waves usually come in the summer or winter. "We want elderly people to get vaccinated by then."
A panel of experts who advise the ministry on COVID-19 responses is expected to meet as early as mid-June to assess the impact of the downgrade of the disease.