COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Okinawa Prefecture, with 48.39 cases reported per medical institution during the weeklong period of June 26-July 2, representing the highest figures across the nation.
Hospital bed occupancy in the prefecture had risen to 78% as of Wednesday. "If the infection spreads nationwide, there's a risk of the nation's medical care system becoming strained," said a member of an advisory body to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry at a meeting on Friday.
According to the Okinawa prefectural government, there were an estimated 12,260 cases in the prefecture, surpassing the 10,472 cases registered during the peak of the eighth wave of the coronavirus (from Jan. 2-8), when all cases were reported under a related law.
