Japan's monthly COVID-19 deaths cross 10,000 mark for 1st time

ANKARA

Japan logged 252 new coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, exceeding the monthly figure of 10,000 for the first time, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

The new fatalities have brought the death toll for January to 10,124, Kyodo News agency reported, citing a tally based on prefectural reports.

Previously, over 7,600 people died in December, the highest monthly total at that time.

The nation has seen a rapid surge in coronavirus deaths since November.

Around 54,800 new infections were reported nationwide on Saturday, with 533 patients in critical condition, according to prefectural governments.

Daily infections have been declining since the middle of the month.

Tokyo has decided to downgrade the legal status of coronavirus in May to the same category as seasonal influenza and other common infections, a crucial move that will lead to a normalization of social and economic activities in one of the world's top industrial countries.