With the Tokyo Olympics underway, new cases of Covid continue to be identified at the Games, and across Japan.

Infection numbers have been climbing for some weeks, and the authorities have announced that a state of emergency in Tokyo will be extended.
How many cases are there at the Olympics?

Data collected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shows that as of 30 July, they had reported a total of 220 Covid cases linked to the Olympics since 1 July.

This includes not just athletes, but also employees of the Olympics organising committee and of national committees as well as contractors and other employees and volunteers working at the games, as well as members of the media.

Half of these cases were among contractors providing services at the Olympic venues, and the majority of the cases were Japanese.

But there have also been cases among foreign nationals - mostly amongst officials and staff associated with overseas teams and national Olympic committees rather than amongst the athletes themselves.

There are strict Covid safety rules in place inside venues for both competitors and officials, and athletes and others are being tested daily.
How many cases are there across Japan?

New infections have been edging up sharply across Japan since late June.

On 29 July, the Ministry of Health reported more than 10,680 new cases.

The figure for daily cases averaged over seven days is near the levels seen during previous peaks earlier this year, although the number of deaths is much lower.

In the host city of Tokyo, experts said the daily infection rate needed to fall below 100 in order to hold the Games safely.

Case numbers did fall from mid-May, going below 400 a day, although they never got down to 100 a day.

But that decline has now reversed and infections have risen sharply.

The city's health authorities reported a seven-day average of more than 2,200 cases a day on 29 July.

A state of emergency is in force in Tokyo, and Olympic events there and in Fukushima prefecture are taking place without spectators.

The emergency in the capital is being extended until the end of August, and will also apply to some neighbouring regions as well.

For Tokyo, there are specific measures in place such as limits on opening hours for bars and restaurants, and restrictions on serving alcohol.

Residents of the capital have also been advised to avoid non-essential journeys, wear masks and work from home.
How many people has Japan vaccinated?

As of 28 July, 27.1% of people in Japan were fully vaccinated.

The US, France and Germany are all close to having half of their populations fully vaccinated, and in the UK, more than 55% of people are now fully vaccinated.

Japan only started vaccinating people in February, later than most other developed nations.

The Pfizer jab was, for some months, the only approved vaccine in Japan.

This process took longer because Japan insisted on doing its own trials alongside the tests done internationally.

Officials say this was done to build confidence in the vaccine, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

Historical concerns surrounding side effects have contributed to hesitancy towards inoculations in the past.

An Imperial College London study of 15 countries found that Japan had the lowest levels of trust towards the coronavirus vaccines.

The rollout has also been hampered by supply shortages and bureaucratic hurdles.

Japanese law only permitted doctors and nurses to carry out vaccinations, but the rules were relaxed to allow dentists, paramedics and clinicians to give jabs.
What other measures has Japan taken?

Japan - unlike some other countries - did not enforce strict lockdowns or completely close off its borders as soon as the pandemic hit last year.

In April 2020, the government introduced a state of emergency, although the stay-at-home guidelines were voluntary. Non-essential businesses were asked to close, but did not face penalties for not complying.

Restrictions on entry were introduced from some countries, and others were added later on, with entry now barred from 159 countries (except in special circumstances).

Although it has a large elderly population and densely-populated urban centres, Japan proved relatively successful in controlling the virus initially, and avoiding high death rates.

There were a number of theories put forward as to why this might have been, including:

high public compliance with safety measures such as mask wearing
close physical contact like hugging and kissing is generally avoided
lower rates of chronic disease like heart conditions, obesity and diabetes

However, there were outbreaks of the virus throughout 2020 and nationwide, case numbers rose sharply in the latter part of the year and into a peak this January.

At the time, the government faced criticism over a campaign encouraging domestic travel in order to boost the economy.
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