Japan's health minister is urging people to be vigilant against COVID-19, noting that infections have apparently yet to peak in the country.
The health ministry said the average number of coronavirus patients visiting designated medical facilities across Japan in a week until September 3 was 20.5 per facility. That marked a growth for 3 consecutive weeks.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, health minister Kato Katsunobu said the ministry will take whatever measures are necessary by accurately grasping whether healthcare institutions are overstretched. He said they will closely watch for any mutation of the virus.
He called on people to take basic counter-infection measures, such as wearing masks and visiting clinics when they feel sick.