The COVID-19 cases tested in Japan rose 1,065 to 439,981 on Sunday afternoon, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities.
The death toll in Japan from the virus that causes the seizure is currently at 8,276, with 25 new deaths announced Sunday.
The health ministry also said 373 patients are currently considered seriously ill with ventilators or in intensive care units.
In Tokyo, the heart of Japan’s revolution, 237 new cases were reported on Sunday, with the cumulative total reaching 113,455, the highest among the country’s 47 prefectures.
Japanese Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said on Sunday that his ministry could approve a second COVID-19 vaccine as early as May, as the government sees inoculation as a necessary condition for containing diseases.
“There is potential to issue a medication license as early as May or June,” Tamura said on a TV program.
The vaccine was US pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. the first to be approved for use in the country in February.
AstraZeneca Plc Britain applied for the COVID-19 vaccine in early February while Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. apply for vaccination license of US biotechnology company Moderna Inc. Last Friday.