Tokyo 2020 organisers revise hospitalisations tally

TOKYO • A total of 25 people were hospitalised due to Covid-19 during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, instead of the initially reported five, organisers said on Tuesday.

"The initial five we reported was the figure for overseas residents who were hospitalised," explained Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto on Tuesday evening.

"We released those figures to gauge how much of a burden people from overseas would put on the medical system."

The 25 cases now reported include Japanese residents and overseas visitors released from quarantine who were hospitalised.

"This figure gives a more comprehensive view of the situation," said spokesman Masa Takaya of the newly released figure.

No reason was given for why the hospitalisation numbers were not released earlier.

The delayed Tokyo 2020 Games opened in July while the capital was under a state of emergency to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Unlike other Olympics, it was held largely without spectators and participants were asked to minimise contact with one another and wear masks.

Japan finished third overall in the medal table with 27 golds. The United States was top with 39, one more than China.

During the Games, host city Tokyo saw the worst surge of cases to date. Late last month, Japan saw a record high of 25,000 daily infections.

Cases within the "bubble" of over 50,000 Olympic-related visitors and participants remained low compared to national figures, however, with 863 positive cases confirmed over the course of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to broadcaster NHK.

Japan will lift its state of emergency this week as new Covid-19 infections recede, easing restrictions that have affected the economy and limited operations at places such as bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.

The state of emergency in Tokyo is being lifted for the first time in more than two months, as new cases in Japan fell to 1,128 on Monday.

The country's vaccination programme has also proceeded steadily, with more than 58 per cent of the population fully immunised, putting Japan just ahead of the United States.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG

Total positive Covid-19 cases over the course of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to broadcaster NHK.