https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16560974
"Annual deaths from COVID-19 continue to top 30,000 in Japan, even three years
since the seriousness of the infectious disease was downgraded to the level of
seasonal influenza.
Elderly people are most at risk of the novel coronavirus, which has continued
to mutate.
In both 2023 and 2024, COVID-19 was eighth leading cause of death in Japan.
According to health ministry statistics, 36,000 people died from COVID-19 in
2024, with people 65 and over accounting for more than 90 percent of the
fatalities.
The total was down by around 2,000 from 38,000 in 2023.
May 8 marked the third anniversary of the health ministry’s move to downgrade
COVID-19 to Category 5 on the severity scale under the infectious disease
prevention law.
Large-scale COVID-19 outbreaks are more likely to occur during the summer and
winter. However, the 2025-2026 winter season saw fewer infections than before.
Several possible factors for the decline include the widespread use of flu
masks and handwashing.
In addition, a large-scale influenza outbreak occurred at the time, and the
presence of one dominant virus can help suppress others.
The Omicron strain that first emerged in November 2021 continues to be the
dominant strain since becoming common in Japan at the beginning of 2022.
In December, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the BA.3.2 variant
of the Omicron strain as a monitoring target."
Via Violet Blue’s
Threat Model - Pandemic Roundup: June 11, 2026
https://www.patreon.com/violetblue/posts/pandemic-roundup-160784505
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
