Japan logs record 343 daily COVID-19 deaths

Tokyo [Japan], August 24: Japan saw a record number of daily COVID-19 deaths at 343 on Tuesday amid the fast-spreading seventh wave of coronavirus infections.
Tuesday's death toll exceeded the previous high of 327 logged on Feb. 22. Osaka Prefecture reported 42 coronavirus-related deaths, while there were 25 new deaths confirmed in Tokyo.
The daily tally of new COVID-19 cases also came to 208,551 after dipping under 200,000 the previous day, as the country feared a strain on the medical system fueled by a resurgence of infections.
In a bid to ease the administrative burden on hospitals, Japan's prefectural governors on Tuesday urged the central government to limit its daily reporting requirement for new cases to the elderly and other at-risk people, stressing the urgent need to reorganize the system so that medical workers can devote their time to treating patients rather than paperwork, Kyodo News reported.
Doctors in Japan are currently required by law to report all COVID-19 cases to the government by entering the data into a system shared with public health centers.
Source: Xinhua