TOKYO (Reuters) – The number of COVID-19 infections in Tokyo may have jumped nine times since last summer, coronavirus antibody tests showed, as Japan tries to contain the third and most lethal wave of the pandemic before the Olympics in July.
Random tests on people in the capital of Japan in December showed that 0.91% had antibodies to the virus, compared with about 0.1% in a similar study in June, the Ministry of Health said in a report on Friday .
The study sampled more than 15,000 people and also showed increases in antibody rates in Osaka and Miyagi Prefecture.
Infections reported in Japan have declined in recent days, but the government has signaled it will remain cautious.
Japan last month imposed a one-month state of emergency for 11 areas, including Tokyo, neighboring prefectures and the city of Osaka.
It was decided to extend the emergency in 10 of the 11 prefectures to March 7, as the medical system remained under pressure, despite the drop in the number of cases.
The country has had more than 390,000 cases of the coronavirus and 5,832 deaths, and is desperate to eliminate outbreaks of infection as it prepares for the summer Olympics, which are due to start on July 23.
(Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Gerry Doyle)