COVID-19 cases in Japan are continuing their recent rise and taking a toll on the elderly in particular, with experts predicting the trend will continue amid high heat, declining population-level immunity and the start of the holiday season.

Health ministry statistics released Friday showed Japan’s ninth wave of coronavirus infections is continuing, with the average number of new cases reported by around 5,000 designated medical institutions in the week through July 9 standing at 9.14, up from 7.24 a week before.

Japan has seen a continuous, though gradual, increase in COVID-19 cases for eight straight weeks since May 8, when it downgraded the disease to a status on par with seasonal flu and scrapped a range of special COVID-19 measures, including the daily counting of cases.

The number of new hospital admissions for COVID-19 is also rising, standing at 6,096 in the week through July 9, up from 5,494 a week before and 4,484 four weeks before.

Cases were seen rising in 45 of the nation's 47 prefectures, but the increases stand out in western Japan. Okinawa continues to see by far the highest number of patients per institution, at 41.67, though that is down slightly from 48.39 a week before. The Kyushu region has seen major increases, particularly in Kagoshima (17.18), Miyazaki (16), Saga (15.33) and Kumamoto (11.99) prefectures.

Shigeru Omi, the nation’s top coronavirus adviser, said other places in Japan could see an uptick in coming weeks.

“Okinawa has its own unique factors (that led to the current spike in infections),” Omi told an NHK news program Sunday. “It has a close-knit community, and the vaccination rate there is a bit lower (than in the rest of the country). But these factors alone cannot explain the recent spikes.

“The trend could spread northward from Okinawa and Kyushu.”

Omi also said that the trend is likely to continue a little longer, citing the normalization of social and business activities since May 8 and the increasing amount of time people are spending in indoor, less ventilated spaces because of the relentless heat outside. He also mentioned the fact that many people’s immunity is waning, as time has passed since prior infection or vaccination, as well as the prevalence of immunity-escaping variants.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato on Tuesday urged caution among people at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms, particularly older people and those with underlying conditions. He asked that people wear masks when visiting hospitals and elderly care facilities.

Meanwhile, a survey taken last month and released last week by a panel of risk communication experts who advise the Tokyo Metropolitan Government found that 3 out of 10 foreign residents in Tokyo feel that they have experienced prejudice and discrimination related to COVID-19 because of their nationality.

The survey covered 2,000 people in their 20s through 70s from more than 15 countries. The ratio of nationalities polled matched their size in the capital’s foreign population.

The results showed that, of the 30.5% who replied that they had encountered prejudice and discrimination, 50.7% said that they were “blamed for the spread of COVID infections.”

The survey, which also asked about measures taken against COVID-19,found that around 70% of the respondents said they planned to continue with basic antivirus measures such as mask-wearing and frequent hand washing, while 65% said they would ventilate rooms and 55% would avoid the "three Cs" (closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings).

The survey concluded that foreign residents can encounter issues with health care in Japan generally, not just in relation to COVID-19, and called on officials to incorporate their perspectives when implementing measures on infectious diseases and other public health issues.