Tokyo [Japan], December 15 : Japan on Tuesday confirmed 2,431 new daily COVID-19 infections, bringing the nation's cumulative total to 184,732, not including those related to a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo earlier this year.

Tokyo, the hardest hit by the virus among all of Japan's 47 prefectures, reported 460 new cases, bringing its total number of infections to 47,990.

The second hardest-hit area by the virus, the western prefecture of Osaka, added 306 new cases on Tuesday to a total of 25,420 infections, the latest figures showed.

On Tuesday in Osaka, a special facility to take care of those with serious symptoms of COVID-19 opened, where members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) will help take care of patients.

The move comes following an official request made by Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura for the assistance of SDF nurses.

Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi has said that owing to a rising number of COVID-19 cases in the western prefecture, the medical system is becoming overburdened.

Kishi has said he hopes "the SDF will make full use of its capabilities to curb the number of fatalities and seriously ill patients as much as possible."

The latest deployment by the SDF of its nurses comes on the heels of nurses from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) starting work on Dec. 9 at facilities in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, in Japan's northernmost prefecture, that was similarly struggling to cope due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

The nurses were dispatched to the northern city in response to a request by Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki.

They have already started to help staff at a facility for disabled people and a hospital where clusters of infections have broken out.

Go Asari, who is in charge of anti-virus measures at the city's health center, said the nurses being dispatched means the situation is extremely serious and was a "last resort."

"We take it very seriously that members of the SDF were sent here as their dispatch has been considered to be the last resort. We want to rely on their support to contain clusters of infections," Asari said.

Since November, novel coronavirus infections have been on the increase in Japan's metropolitan areas like Tokyo and Osaka, but cities like Sapporo in Hokkaido and Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture have also been hard-hit by the pneumonia-causing virus.

The rising cases are putting a strain on hospitals and care facilities across the country and concerns are rife that the healthcare system here could buckle if the rate of infections continues at the current pace.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Aichi Prefecture reported 216 new COVID-19 cases to bring its caseload to 13,050, while Hokkaido reported 104 new cases, taking the total to 11,564.

The nationwide death toll from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at a total of 2,715 people, according to the latest figures released Tuesday evening. (ANI/Xinhua)

Japan confirms 2,431 new Covid-19 cases as more SDF personnel deployed to help combat surge

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