Tokyo's New COVID-19 Infections Hit A Record Again, Topping 4,000 For The First Time

By Josie Fischels

Published July 31, 2021 at 1:06 PM EDT

People in Tokyo wear masks on May 7. Daily coronavirus infections in Japan's capital have topped 4,000 — nearly four times as many as a week ago.

Records have been set nearly every day lately in Tokyo, but not all of them have been by athletes competing in the Olympics.

Japan's capital has exceeded 4,000 coronavirus infections for the first time — 4,058 cases, to be exact. That's a record high and nearly four times as many cases were reported just a week ago.

Tokyo set new case records every day from Monday to Wednesday, experiencing just a slight dip on Thursday, when they totaled 3,300 — still one of the city's highest daily counts on record.

Within the Olympic bubble, 21 games-related personnel have tested positive in the past day, none of which were athletes. Since July started, 241 people connected with the Olympics have tested positive for the coronavirus.

On Friday, Japan extended a state of emergency to areas around Tokyo and to Osaka to combat the overwhelming COVID-19 surge. Tokyo's state of emergency will be extended through the end of August. New COVID-19 cases have topped 10,000 for two days in a row, while officials continue to say the Olympics have nothing to do with the surge.

Josie Fischels is an intern on NPR's News Desk.