This 2019 file photo shows the Okinawa Prefectural Government headquarters. (Mainichi/Takayasu Endo)

       NAHA -- Provisional figures suggest Okinawa Prefecture will see over 1,400 newly confirmed coronavirus cases on Jan. 7, the prefectural government announced on the same day.

       It marks the first time for Japan's southernmost prefecture to record more than 1,000 newly infected people in a single day, and will be the second consecutive day of record confirmed case numbers. On Jan. 6, 981 people were confirmed infected, surpassing the previous high of 809 on Aug. 25, 2021, which was recorded during a state of emergency.

       It is believed that the highly contagious omicron variant has almost completely replaced other variants in the prefecture. Case numbers have increased tenfold in the four days since the 130 infections confirmed on Jan. 3, indicating the viral spread is out of control.

       (Japanese original by Nozomu Takeuchi, Naha Bureau)

       Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0