January 3 coronavirus news

A medical official bags a swab sample to test for Covid-19 on December 19, 2020 in Samut Sakhon, Thailand.

Thailand has reported its first case of the UK Covid-19 variant found in a British family who arrived Bangkok on Dec. 21, 2020, according to Dr. Yong Poovorawan, a senior virologist at Chulalongkorn University.

According to a Facebook post on Sunday, the British family of four have all been infected. The infection started with the mother and two children first and was then passed to the father. The family are from Kent, UK, and are now staying at a private hospital under quarantine.

“We have controlled the cases well to prevent any further spread, ” the doctor said in the post.

Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, the Director-General of Department of Disease Control, has also confirmed the information about the UK Covid-19 variant being found among what he called foreign returnees. He said the Ministry of Public Health has recommended the Foreign Affairs Ministry delay the future arrivals of passengers from the UK.

More on the Covid-19 variant: Health authorities from around the world have said the UK variant, though believed to be more easily spread, does not appear to be more deadly than previously identified coronavirus strains.

Many countries have banned flights from the United Kingdom, and the CDC recently announced passengers from London to the United States will need a negative coronavirus test from the previous 72 hours.

A nurse administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Haxby, England, on December 22, 2020.

Britain aims to complete “tens of millions” of Covid-19 vaccinations in the next three months, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday.

Speaking to the BBC, Johnson said: “We do hope that we will be able to do tens of millions [of Covid-19 vaccines] in the next three months, I can certainly give you that figure,” he added.

Johnson said this strategy relied on three vaccines, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines – which have both been approved in the UK – and the Moderna vaccine which would be ready to use “soon.”

The Prime Minister, echoing what he said in October last year, said: “I thought by the spring things would be better. I stick to that.”

Asked about the number of doses from the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, which was approved by UK regulators on Wednesday, Johnson said 530,000 doses would be ready to be inoculated on Monday, on top of “the million or so” Pfizer/BioNTechCovid-19 vaccine already distributed.

Earlier on Sunday, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Twitter that the country had administered 1 million Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines, saying “the end is in sight.”

UK revises vaccine guidance: Last week, the UK’s chief medical officers issued revised advice on the recommended interval period between vaccine doses for the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

While UK regulators had previously recommended that a second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine be given three weeks after the first dose, the UK medical officers this week advised that it may be given between 3 to 12 weeks following the first dose. Similarly, the second dose of the newly UK-authorized Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine may be given 4 to 12 weeks following the first, according to the recommendations.

In a letter to healthcare professionals, the chief medical officers defended their decision to extend the interval period for patients waiting to receive their second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, saying Thursday that the decision was taken based on their assessed balance of risks and benefits.  

The British Medical Association said the move was is “grossly unfair” to thousands of at risk-patients across the country.

Pfizer says it does not have data to demonstrate that just a single dose of its Covid-19 vaccine would provide protection against the disease after more than 21 days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the final PMQs Of 2020, on December 16, 2020 in London, England.

Coronavirus restrictions in England are “alas probably about to get tougher,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday.

Speaking to the BBC, Johnson said: “It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country. I am fully reconciled with that.

“I bet the people of this country are reconciled to that,” he added during an appearance on the Andrew Marr Show.

Pressed to elaborate what those tougher restrictions might be, Boris Johnson said: “There are obviously a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider. I don’t want to speculate, I’m not going to speculate now about what they would be.

“Clearly, school closures that we had to do in March is one of those things (…),” he added, as the controversy over the government’s mixed messages over schools reopening continues to dominate headlines in the UK.

Controversy over school opening: On Friday, it was announced that primary schools in London would be closed – but many primary schools in England are still expected to open Monday.

In an official letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, the Doctors’ Association UK warned that the government should review the need to close schools and universities nationally.

“Studies from Imperial College London show that the new COVID-19 variant has higher transmissibility and showed increasing numbers during the lockdown in November, especially in those aged under 20 years old. This may have been influenced by schools remaining open. The evidence is pointing towards urgent action being required to curb the spread all over the UK,” the organization wrote.

Surge in cases: On Saturday, the UK recorded its highest daily rise in coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic, with a further 57,725 new coronavirus cases and 445 deaths.

Echoing his warning in October last year, Johnson warned on Sunday that: “It is bumpy, and it’s going to be bumpy.”

Under the current coronavirus “Tiers” system, most of England falls under the toughest Tier 3 and Tier 4 restrictions – with the latter in place for all of London – with a strict stay-at-home message.

Seoul's Dongbu Detention Center in Seoul, South Korea, on December 31, 2020.

The number of Covid-19 cases linked to a prison in South Korea has risen to 1,084, the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Sunday.

Among the cases linked to the Dongbu detention facility in southeastern Seoul, 1,041 are inmates, 22 are staff members, 20 are family members, and one is an acquaintance, KDCA said in a statement.

As of Sunday, South Korea has reported 63,244 Covid-19 cases and 962 deaths, according to the KDCA.

Authorities search for source of outbreak: Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu said in a briefing Thursday that health authorities are contact-tracing to find the source of the cluster. Preliminary results show that the facility structure, poor ventilation equipment, inmates concentrated in a small space, and asymptomatic cases could be the reasons for the cluster.

Lee added that level 3 social distancing will be applied to all detention centers and prisons starting December 31 until January 13. During this time, access to lawyers will be limited, and meetings between inmates and outside people will be banned.

The United States has reported at least 20,427,780 coronavirus cases, including at least 350,186 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally.

On Saturday, Johns Hopkins University reported 299,087 new cases and 2,398 additional deaths.  

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

Note: Daily totals may be affected by the New Year’s Day holiday; CNN is aware of at least one state that did not report Covid-19 data on Friday but included additional cases on Saturday.

These retired nurses and many others were in urgent demand this year to fight Covid-19. From left to right: Mary Milliard, Evelyn Ochoa-Celano, Juliana Morawski.

Juliana Morawski has realized that she most likely couldn’t go back to working in an emergency room, even if she wanted to. As a retired emergency nurse of 30 years, that realization is hard for someone who just wants to lend a helping hand on the front lines.

But even though she isn’t in the ER, Morawski, 69, is working at an Illinois clinic, answering phones and administering Covid-19 vaccines, and she told CNN she takes comfort in knowing that “anything is better than nothing.”

She said due to her age and some minor health problems, she thinks ER managers would consider her a high risk.

“They’re definitely getting hammered and hammered, daily.”

Morawski got a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine last week and said she’s looking forward to the second dose next month.

Call to action: In March, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, along with officials from around the world, put out calls for qualified healthcare workers to dig out their scrubs and return to their craft to help fight on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Evelyn Ochoa-Celano, 63, answered that call despite having retired from nursing, three months prior. Unfortunately a few months later, she died of coronavirus herself.

Ochoa-Celano retired from a city hospital in the Bronx, New York, her son, John Tabaniag told CNN, but was picking up part-time shifts at a nursing home on Long Island to stay busy.

After Cuomo’s letter came out, Ochoa-Celano called her son to say she was transitioning back to full-time work at the nursing home.

As much as Tabaniag was proud of his mom for wanting to fight on the front lines, he was worried about her health. Having lost his stepfather and younger brother, he feared losing his mother, too.

Read the full story.

Protesters holding placards as they take part in a demonstration in Trafalgar Square organized by the group Stand Up X in London, on August 29, 2020.

At a recent Saturday protest outside London’s Stratford train station – comprised of bindi-wearing hippies, conspiracy theorists in balaclavas, and middle-aged men in waterproof jackets – a protester with the grassroots, anti-lockdown group StandUpX yelled into a megaphone.

“The vaccine is there to make you infertile… that vaccine is just going to make them able to control you,” they shouted.

Listening to the dangerously false spiel was 24-year-old Rebekah, who we are only identifying by her first name. A survivor of domestic abuse, Rebekah said she was living in a Manchester safe house when the first UK-wide lockdown began in March. “If I was still living at home [with her abuser] in lockdown, I probably would have died,” she told CNN.

But Rebekah’s concerns about the crushing social and economic effects of pandemic restrictions took a conspiratorial turn after she read an Instagram post that she said made her question “information shared by the media.” She researched the matter online, churning up information that, while not supported by facts, nonetheless backed up her growing suspicions.

Conspiracy theories spread: Many conspiracy theories have found legs during the pandemic, and one of the first ones that Rebekah found was the widely debunked claim that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was profiting from coronavirus vaccines.

There’s no evidence Gates or his foundation will profit from the Covid-19 vaccines, according to PolitiFact, a nonpartisan fact-checking operation.

In 2021, experts fear this alternative, fact-free universe will fuel hesitancy in taking the vaccine, a vital weapon in the fight against the virus.

Read the full story.

A vaccination officer registers a volunteer during a mock drill for Covid-19 vaccine delivery at a healthcare center in New Delhi, India on January 2.

India conducted a nationwide Covid-19 vaccine drill Saturday ahead of plans for mass vaccinations, India’s state-run broadcaster Doordarshan has reported.

The drills come as India moved to formally approve two Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use, one made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other developed locally.

India has reported the second highest number of coronavirus infections, trailing only the United States.

The first phase of India’s vaccination plan covers almost as many people as the entire US population.

The drill was conducted at 286 sites across India, and was aimed at familiarizing officers on all levels with the operational guidelines, Doordarshan said.

Some 114,100 workers have been trained on tasks such as verifying personal data, conducting cold chain and logistics management, and uploading information using government software, it added.

The Indian government has been planning a massive vaccination drive amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first phase, authorities are aiming to vaccinate 300 million people, including health care workers, police, soldiers, and vulnerable groups, such as citizens above the age of 50 and those with serious comorbidities.

TOPSHOT - A man walks past a mural of frontline workers after the government eased a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in New Delhi on July 14, 2020. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article How India plans to vaccinate 300 million people against Covid-19

Arizona’s Department of Health reported 8,883 new Covid-19 cases and 46 deaths on Saturday. 

Hospital ICUs are at 93% capacity, with 61% of beds being used by Covid-19 patients and 32% by non-Covid patients. Additionally, 57% of ventilators across the state are in use, according to the Health Department’s data dashboard. 

At least 80,000 vaccines have already been administered to health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities, according to the state’s Health Department. 

A Covid-19 vaccine appointment at a Canton, South Dakota hospital turned into a marriage proposal for one healthcare couple.

Robbie Vargas-Cortes, 31, a paramedic and EMS supervisor, was scheduled to get his vaccination on December 23, and knew his boyfriend of five years was one of the vaccine administrators at Sanford Canton-Inwood Medical Center. 

“I wanted for it to be a surprise,” Vargas-Cortes told CNN.

Eric Vanderlee, a registered nurse, told CNN he had no idea the proposal was coming. When Vargas-Cortes rolled up his sleeve and there was already tape on his arm, he thought his boyfriend was jokingly indicating where the vaccine should go, “like a bulls eye or something.”

But Vargas-Cortes had taped a ring to his arm.

Vanderlee then had to administer the vaccine to his new fiancé. 

And within 10 minutes, Vargas-Cortes, vaccinated and engaged, was out the door responding to an ambulance call. 

“Congratulations, Eric and Robby!” Sanford Health said in a Facebook post along with video of the proposal.

Vargas-Cortes said he had the ring for three years, and was waiting for the right moment to pop the question. “We’re nearing the end of the pandemic. The vaccine is kind of like a new chapter,” he said.

Robbie Vargas-Cortes and Eric Vanderlee got engaged after a coronavirus vaccination appointment turned into a surprise marriage proposal at a Canton, South Dakota hospital where Vanderlee works.

Related article Coronavirus vaccine appointment turns into surprise marriage proposal

Dr. Jorge Rodriguez an internal medicine specialist and CNN medical analyst speaks with CNN, on January 2.

The current surge in Covid-19 cases in California is driven in part by economic disparities, Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, a Cuban-born internal medicine specialist and CNN medical analyst, said on Saturday.

Rodriguez said he is concerned about the emergence of a new, potentially more infectious Covid-19 variant that could further strain the healthcare system. 

A person receives the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 24, 2020.

More than four million vaccine doses have been administered in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

As of 9 a.m. Saturday, the CDC Covid Data Tracker reported that 13,071,925 doses had been distributed and 4,225,756 had been administered. 

Distributed doses and administered doses include both the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines.

Doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine are seen at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England, on January 2.

India has formally approved the use of two Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use, one made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other developed locally, the country’s Drugs Controller General said in a Sunday briefing.

Both vaccines will have to be administered in two doses and are to be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees to 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit), he added.

The Serum Institute of India has been producing the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in India, while Indian biotech company Bharat Biotech developed Covaxin.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the announcement a “decisive turning point” on Twitter.

Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the Serum Institute of India, said all the risks the Institute took with stockpiling the vaccine have finally paid off.

Last month, Bharat Biotech, the private company developing Covaxin with the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said that the vaccine “demonstrated acceptable safety profile and high immune response… No serious (grade 3-4) adverse events were reported.”

The background: India has reported the second most coronavirus cases in the world, trailing only the United States.

The first phase of its vaccination plan covers 300 million people – almost as many as the entire US population. India conducted a nationwide Covid-19 vaccine drill on Saturday ahead of plans for mass vaccinations, India’s state-run broadcaster Doordarshan reported.

TOPSHOT - A man walks past a mural of frontline workers after the government eased a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in New Delhi on July 14, 2020. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article How India plans to vaccinate 300 million people against Covid-19

Bars and restaurants in Wyoming can return to “normal operating hours” on January 9, the state’s governor announced Saturday. 

“Effective January 9, updated health orders permit bars and restaurants to resume onsite consumption from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.,” Governor Mark Gordon said in a press release, Saturday.

The decision was made after Covid-19 hospitalizations decreased across the state. 

Gyms are also allowed to increase the number of attendees from 10 to 25, according to the statement. 

Wyoming has 38,163 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 438 deaths, according to the state’s Department of Health.

A nurse prepares a Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in Beersheba, Israel, on December 29, 2020.

Israel’s Health Minister says current lockdown restrictions need tightening if the spread of the coronavirus pandemic is to be slowed, even as the country continues to charge forward with its vaccination program.

Friday saw the administration of the one millionth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in Israel, meaning that more than 10% of the country has now received the first of two doses of the vaccine.  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tough re-election battle in March, hailed the announcement as record-breaking, exclaiming, “we are ahead of the entire world.”

But, as latest figures released Saturday evening showed the number of new Covid-19 cases at their highest level for nearly three months, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein warned of the more immediate need to control the disease’s spread.

“In view of a significant and alarming increase in morbidity and the number of serious patients, and the discovery of mutations, Health Minister Edelstein intends to bring forward a government resolution calling for a full closure for a short period of two weeks,” a statement from the Ministry said.

Even though Israel entered its third lockdown a week ago, there is a widespread sense that it is neither being closely adhered to, nor widely enforced. Among possible additional measures the government could take would be to increase the amount of schooling that takes place online.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner speaks with journalists in Havana, Cuba, on September 26, 2016.

A phone line set up for members of the public to schedule vaccination appointments in Houston was temporarily overwhelmed Saturday after it was inundated with hundreds of thousands of calls.

Around 250,000 people called the Houston Health Department Covid-19 call center to make an appointment to receive the Moderna vaccine, according to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

The high volume of calls led to technical issues forcing the health department to switch to an on-site appointment system. The call center has since re-opened, according to Turner.

The State of Texas’ distribution plan prioritizes people 65 and older and people 16 and older who have at least one chronic medical condition, putting them at increased risk. 

The United States has now surpassed 350,000 Covid-19 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

So far today the US has reported 2,398 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 350,186 deaths, according to JHU.

Saudi Arabia will lift a ban on travelers first put in place following the identification of a new Covid-19 variant in the United Kingdom last month, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

Air and sea travel will resume on Sunday, January 3, according to SPA, which said that travelers from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and other countries where the variant has been detected will need to have been out of those countries for 14 days and present a negative PCR test to enter Saudi Arabia.

People wait in line to check in near a sign pointing to a Covid-19 testing area in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California, on December 22, 2020.

New Zealand will require all travelers from the United States and the United Kingdom to obtain a negative Covid-19 test result before departing for the country, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Sunday.

The new measures, which will be implemented from January 15, will “provide another layer of protection for New Zealand from Covid-19,” the ministry said.

Currently, passengers arriving from both countries are required to be tested within 24 hours of their arrival, it added.

As of Saturday night Eastern Time, New Zealand has reported 2,162 Covid-19 cases and 25 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins Universi ty.

Larry King speaks during the 5th annual The Soirée gala at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California, on February 09, 2019.

Talk show host and former CNN interviewer Larry King has Covid-19, according to a source close to the family.

King, 87, has been hospitalized at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for more than a week, the source said. Due to protocols at the hospital, King’s three sons have been unable to visit him, according to the source.

King, who has Type 2 diabetes, has confronted a series of medical issues over the years, including several heart attacks and quintuple bypass surgery in 1987. In 2017, King revealed he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and successfully underwent surgery to treat it. He also underwent a procedure in 2019 to address angina.

His own medical issues inspired him to start the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, a non-profit aimed at helping those without health insurance afford medical care.

King hosted CNN’s “Larry King Live” for 25 years, interviewing presidential candidates, celebrities, athletes, movie stars and everyday people. He retired in 2010 after taping more than 6,000 episodes of the show.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 01: Larry king attends The Paley Center For Media Presents: A Special Evening With Dionne Warwick: Then Came You at The Paley Center for Media on August 1, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Related article Larry King has been hospitalized with Covid-19

French Gendarmes break up a rave in Lieuron, France, on January 2.

Five people have been arrested and more than 1,000 fines have been issued after an illegal New Year’s rave in the French countryside ended on Saturday, local authorities said.

More than 2,500 partygoers attended the illegal party in the region of Brittany in France, despite the government’s strict coronavirus restrictions and a national night-time curfew.

About 1,600 fines were issued as of Saturday following the rave, which started on Thursday, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said via his official Twitter profile.

Trucks, sound systems and generators have been seized and Gendarmes officers “are continuing their investigation and checks so that this illegal event is harshly sanctioned,” Darmanin added.

Of the 1,200 fines, 800 are related to coronavirus restrictions, Emmanuel Berthier, prefect of Ille-et-Vilaine, said.

Up to 20 vehicles including trucks which may be carrying sound equipment managed to escape the police block, Sauvegrain added.

“There is a judicial investigation which will allow us to identify the main perpetrators and to arrest them,” Sauvegrain added.

Local police said they had tried to shut down the rave, but “faced violent hostility,” with a police vehicle set on fire, other vehicles damaged, and soldiers sprayed with bottles and stones, causing minor injuries.

“No new violence” occurred since Thursday, a Gendarmerie Nationale spokesperson told CNN on Saturday, adding that partygoers were “leaving the premises voluntarily.”

Local authorities said the number of partygoers was “estimated at 2,500, coming from different French departments and from abroad.”

A national curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. has been in place since December

A nurse prepares to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at Guy's Hospital in London, on December 8, 2020.

Mixing Covid-19 vaccines is not recommended, Public Health England’s Head of Immunisations Dr. Mary Ramsay said Saturday, after government guidance was updated this week to say the interchangeability of Covid-19 vaccines was a “reasonable” option.

“There may be extremely rare occasions where the same vaccine is not available, or where it is not known what vaccine the patient received. Every effort should be made to give them the same vaccine, but where this is not possible it is better to give a second dose of another vaccine than not at all,” she added.

Ramsay clarified the UK’s position on vaccine mixing after an update to the government’s vaccine playbook on Dec. 31. 

What did the updated guidance say? Thursday’s guidance said if the same vaccine is not available, or if the first product received is unknown, “it is reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule.”

“This option is preferred if the individual is likely to be at immediate high risk or is considered unlikely to attend again,” it added.

Which vaccines are the UK using? The UK authorized emergency use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on December 2 and the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine on Dec. 30.

The guidance recommends both vaccines to be administered in two doses, a minimum of 21 days apart for Pfizer/BioNTech and 28 days apart for AstraZeneca, with longer term protection provided by the second inoculation.

UK guidelines contradict US approach: The updated UK guidance contradicts guidelines in the United States for the two vaccines it has authorized, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that the authorized Covid-19 vaccines “are not interchangeable with each other or with other Covid-19 vaccine products,” and that “the safety and efficacy of a mixed-product series have not been evaluated. Both doses of the series should be completed with the same product.”

The CDC adds, however, that “if two doses of different mRNA COVID-19 vaccine products are inadvertently administered, no additional doses of either product are recommended at this time.”

Yale professor Nicholas Christakis speaks with CNN on Saturday, January 2.

We’re not out from under the coronavirus pandemic yet, but a Roaring ’20s-type rebound is on the horizon, according to sociologist, physician and Yale professor Nicholas Christakis.

This will take time, Christakis told CNN.

“Plagues are not new to our species; they’re just new to us,” he said.  

By the beginning of 2022, we will reach herd immunity and a majority of the population will be vaccinated, he predicts, but “it’s still going to take some time to recover from the social and psychological and economic shock,” he said. 

“If history is a guide, what’s going to happen is all of us that have been cooped up – have been saving our money, have become more religious…more risk-averse – all of those trends will unwind and people will relentlessly seek out social opportunities in nightclubs and bars and political rallies and sporting events and musical concerts and so on. There might be…some sexual licentiousness, people with a lot of pent-up desire…[and] more liberal spending, for example,” he added.

Watch:

From left to right, Saitama Gov. Motohiro Ono, Chiba Gov. Kensaku Morita, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's minister in charge of coronavirus response, Tokyo Gov. and Kanagawa Gov. Yuji Kuroiwa meet the press after their meeting in Tokyo, on January 2.

The governors of Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures on Saturday urged Japan’s central government to declare a state of emergency amid a surge in new coronavirus cases. 

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike and the governors of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa made the request during a meeting with Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is in charge of the government’s coronavirus response.  

They argued measures need to be strengthened immediately and further cooperation with the national government is necessary under a special anti-coronavirus law. 

Nishimura said at a press conference after the meeting that the government will consider the request the governors made after consulting with health experts. He said he shares the view that the situation in the country’s metropolitan areas is “severe” and the “issuance of a state of emergency is in sight.” 

Tokyo reported 814 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday after it reached an all-time high of 1,337 on Thursday, exceeding 1,000 for the first time.