Experts tasked with assessing the coronavirus situation in Tokyo have warned that the Japanese capital is now facing a rapid resurgence of coronavirus infections.

The capital's expert panel said on Thursday that the sharp increase in new coronavirus cases may seriously impact medical services in Tokyo.

The seven-day average for new cases of the coronavirus through Wednesday stood at 4,395, 1.9-times the figure a week ago. The number of hospitalized patients doubled to 1,288 in the two weeks through Wednesday.

The experts warned that urgent preparations are needed to expand capacity at medical institutions.

The experts kept the alert level at the second-highest of the four-tier system, the same as last week.
But the experts warned that new cases of the coronavirus will likely top 15,000 by July 20 and 54,000 by August 3, if the number of infections continues increasing at the current pace.

They added that the more transmissible BA.5 subvariant of Omicron is gradually dominating new cases.

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko told reporters after the expert panel meeting that the capital might have entered the seventh wave of infections.

She called on the pubic to be very careful and take thorough measures to prevent infections. She also urged younger people to receive their third vaccination.