A nurse takes a nasal swab sample at a Covid-19 testing center at Fujimino Emergency Hospital in Miyoshi-machi, Japan, on December 18. Carl Court / Getty Images
Japan recorded 2,950 new Covid-19 cases and 39 virus-related deaths on Sunday, the Ministry of Health said in a statement released Monday.
This is a decrease from Friday when Japan reported the highest single-day infection rate at 3,823.
The total number of nationwide confirmed cases now stands at 220,948, while the death toll has reached 3,265, according to the ministry.
A total of 659 patients, or five more than on Saturday, are currently in serious condition, the ministry added.
UK variant: From Monday, Japan banned foreigners from entering the country until the end of January after several cases of the Covid-19 variant had been registered in the country, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
The UK announced last week that it had discovered a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus that has since been discovered in more than a dozen countries.
