Story at a glance
- The Tokyo government reported Wednesday a nearly six-month high of new COVID-19 cases less than nine days from the start of the Olympic games.
- With 1,149 new cases, Japan’s capital recorded the highest case total since the city hit 1,184 on Jan. 22.
- The delayed Olympic games are expected to host nearly 11,000 athletes.
The Tokyo government reported Wednesday a nearly six-month high of new COVID-19 cases amid a state of emergency and less than two weeks from the start of the Tokyo Olympics.
Tokyo reported 1,149 new cases Wednesday, the highest case total in Japan’s capital since the city hit 1,184 cases on Jan. 22, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Tokyo reported the latest surge the same day Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, who have both made clear that the games would be “safe and secure.”
“To gain the understanding of our people, and also for the success of the Tokyo 2020 Games, it is absolutely necessary that all participants take appropriate actions and measures including countermeasures against the pandemic,” Suga told Bach, according to the AP.
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“As the host of the games, I do hope that the IOC will make the efforts so that all athletes and stakeholders will fully comply with these measures,” the prime minister added.
The delayed Olympic games, which will proceed under a state of emergency, are expected to host nearly 11,000 athletes and the following Paralympics, which may be open to spectators, will host around 4,000.
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WHO SAYS ‘CATASTROPHIC WAVES’ OF NEW DELTA VARIANT CASES ARE DRIVEN BY GREED
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TOP HEALTH EXPERT SAYS VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE SPREADING DELTA VARIANT
Bach reportedly told Suga on Wednesday that 85 percent of the athletes and officials living in the Olympic Village would be fully vaccinated, adding that nearly 100 percent of IOC members and IOC staff were “vaccinated or immune.”
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Olympic governing bodies concluded last week that the games would run without spectators, a reversal of the previous guidelines allowing domestic fans at 50 percent of a venue’s capacity. Bach said at the time the safety measure reflects the consistent commitment of games organizers to place public health needs at the forefront of decisions.
“We have shown this responsibility since the day of the postponement,” Bach said after the meeting. “And we will also show it today, and we will support any measure which is necessary to have a safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Games for the Japanese people and all the participants.”
Japan has reported nearly 2,400 new cases and 18 deaths in the past day, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The country has administered more than 63 million vaccine doses, which puts its total vaccinated population at slightly more than 19 percent.
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