Barque Eagle Division

Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:

As of 3:30 p.m., Sunday, May 9

As of 11 p.m., Saturday, May 8

• The Indian government on Saturday reported a record 4,187 COVID-19 deaths, a record single-day total and the first time the number has exceeded 4,000, as highly contagious variants continue to rage across the South Asian country.
• Japan’s daily COVID-19 cases topped 7,000 for the first time since mid-January on Saturday, a day after the government’s decision to expand the ongoing state of emergency beyond Tokyo and the greater Osaka region, amid growing fears over spreading variants of the coronavirus.
• The World Health Organization approved on Friday a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, paving the way for Beijing to extend further assistance to hard-hit developing countries.
• As the international community focuses on the humanitarian crisis in India, a deadly coronavirus crisis is also unfolding in neighboring Nepal, leaving the small Himalayan nation in a battle it is ill-prepared to fight, public health experts say.
• Japan’s extended state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic is estimated to lead to an economic loss of 1 trillion yen ($9.2 billion), dimming the prospect for a steady recovery toward the end of the year, according to an economist’s forecast.
• The Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association on Friday opposed U.S. support for a temporary waiver of coronavirus vaccine patent rights held by pharmaceutical companies, saying such a move could exacerbate global shortages of vital components for vaccines and stoke anxiety about product quality.

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos – May 1~7

Photo shows rhythmic gymnasts of Japan’s national team, wearing face masks to protest against the novel coronavirus, during a test event for the Tokyo Olympics at Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo on May 8, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Tokyo Coronavirus Support Center for Foreign Residents (TOCOS)” multilingual hotline
  – Available in Simple Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Khmer, and Burmese, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays except national holidays. 
  0120-296-004 (toll free)
  https://www.seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/chiiki_tabunka/tabunka/tabunkasuishin/0000001452.html
  
  
• AMDA Medical Information Center’s “Multilingual Consultation Service”
  – Available in Simple Japanese and English, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
  03-6233-9266 
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s COVID-19 info
  https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
  https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/contacts
  – Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (including weekends and holidays)
  0570-550571
  – Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
  03-5388-1396
• Japan National Tourism Organization’s “Guide for when you are feeling ill”
  – Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
  https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html
• JNTO’s “Japan Visitor Hotline“
  https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/
  – Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
  050-3816-2787 
  +81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas)
• Japan’s health ministry hotline
  – Available in Japanese only, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  0120-565653
• World Health Organization’s “Q&A on coronaviruses“
  https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses