People wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus walk at a street for their yearend shopping in Tokyo, on Dec. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

       TOKKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo on Friday reported 78 new cases of the coronavirus, the highest number since early October, amid a gradual rebound in infections with the spread of the Omicron variant.

       For 2021, the Japanese capital, which hosted the Olympics from late July to early August, saw a more than fivefold increase in COVID-19 cases from a year earlier to 322,766, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government.

       Compared with other many countries, Japan's confirmed COVID-19 cases in recent weeks have been much lower, but the community spread of the Omicron variant has been reported in areas including Tokyo and Osaka. Government officials and health authorities are urging people not to lower their guard against the virus during the New Year's holiday season.

       In Tokyo, the latest seven-day average of new infections stood at 54.3 per day, up 68.1 percent from the previous week. The daily count of 78 is the highest since 82 on Oct. 9, according to metropolitan government data.

       Before Omicron, the Delta variant led to a spike in infections. On Aug. 13, days after the Olympics, Tokyo had 5,908 cases, the highest on a daily basis.

       August was the worst month with 129,193 cases confirmed, overwhelming the health care system, which compared with 923 in December.

       As vaccinations against COVID-19 have progressed, the number of newly confirmed cases has trended downward. Japan initially lagged behind other advanced nations such as Britain and the United States in its inoculation efforts, but nearly 78 percent of the population has now received two shots of COVID-19 vaccine.

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