The variant virus is driving the fourth wave of epidemic in Japan

With only 109 days left before the Tokyo Olympics, Japanese health experts worry that the pandemic caused by the variant crown disease is driving the country’s fourth wave of epidemics.

Reuters reported that these variant viruses appear to be more infectious and may be resistant to vaccines that are not currently widely vaccinated in Japan. Among them, the situation in Osaka is the most serious. The city’s infection rate set a new record last week, prompting the local government to implement a one-month targeted lock-in measure starting Monday (5th).

Japanese public health expert and government consultant Koji Wada said that the mutant virus that first appeared in the UK has spread in the Osaka area and has spread faster. He said: “The fourth wave of the pandemic will be even greater.” “We need to start discussing how to implement targeted measures in the Tokyo area.”

According to reports, Japan has declared a state of emergency twice in the past year. The third wave of the country’s outbreak at the beginning of this year was the deadliest since the virus outbreak last year. Officials are now exploring the use of more targeted measures to allow local governments to shorten business hours and impose fines on violations.

In addition, Osaka has canceled the local Olympic torch relay, but Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga insisted that Japan hold the Olympic Games as scheduled. He said that if needed, the measures taken by Osaka could be extended to Tokyo and other places.