Over 193 individuals, who have associations to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, have tested positive for COVID-19.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics is already near its halfway point. But, worries and fears continue to emerge among the public due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Japan’s capital.
Officials argue, however, that the Games is in a “bubble,” adding that strict measures are in place for everyone. This is why it is reportedly “highly improbable” that the event could become a superspreader.
Despite these factors, though, the organizing committee recently recorded the highest daily COVID-19 count since the Games began. The report emerged on Thursday, hours before Tokyo released its official coronavirus case tally for the day, according to Kyodo News.
The new record high in the Tokyo Olympics
Based on the data, the latest case tally within the bubble reached 24. This stands as the highest daily COVID-19 count in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
As noted, 15 of them are contractors, six are officials with associations to the Games, and three are athletes. The publication then reported that 17 of the cases are residents of the country.
The figures have since brought the cumulative total to 193 COVID-19 cases. These include the 20 athletes who have tested positive for coronavirus.
COVID-19 case surge in Japan’s capital
Outside the Olympic bubble, the capital itself has since seen a spike, as well, in its daily number of coronavirus infections. On the same day, Tokyo recorded 3,865 cases, noting that the city remains under a state of emergency.
It became the third day in a row for the country’s capital to set a record for new COVID-19 cases, according to NPR. The spike reportedly started after people who have links to the Games began arriving in Japan.
Prior to this event, Tokyo’s daily coronavirus infections were no more than 700. However, officials from the Games, as well as the country, assert that the surge has no links to the event.
Games is not causing the spike
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike dismissed all the links between the Olympics and the increasing rate of infections. She highlighted that the public is staying at home, “as clearly shown by the rise in TV viewership.”
The country’s Prime Minister issued a similar statement regarding the matter. PM Yoshihide Suga claimed that the Games is not causing the surge across the capital.
Japan recorded, however, its highest overall daily case on the same day. Reports said that it became the country’s first time to surpass the 10,000 mark.
The Tokyo Olympics kicked off on July 23. It is now on its seventh day, and will conclude on August 8.
Images courtesy of NBC News/YouTube