An expert panel of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is expected to raise the alert level for medical service provisions amid the latest wave of coronavirus infections.

Tokyo officials reported that as of Wednesday more than 3,000 people infected with the virus were hospitalized. That was an increase of about 1,000 people in a period of three weeks.

At a meeting on Thursday, the expert panel assessed the situations for infections and medical services in the capital.

Informed sources say the panel members agreed that the system to provide medical care needs to be beefed up, as they expect the number of hospitalizations to increase further.

They are reportedly in the final stage to move toward raising the alert level for medical services by one notch to the second highest.

The alert level for the infection situation was raised to the second highest two weeks ago.

It will be the first time since September 29 that both levels are set at the second highest.

Japan's health ministry says it confirmed 12,332 new COVID cases in Tokyo on Thursday. The figure is up 6,693 from a week ago, marking a seventh straight day of week-on-week increases.

There are 19 seriously ill patients who are on ventilators or ECMO heart-lung machines. The number is up one from Wednesday.

The ministry also reported 14 deaths.