Olympics now ended, Japan races to vaccinate as virus surges

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Olympics have ended, but it’s still vacation season in Japan and many people are ignoring government requests to avoid travel and gathering at bars and restaurants even as the coronavirus spikes. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is pinning his hopes on vaccinations to slow the infections. It’s a race between the fast-spreading delta variant of the virus and inoculation rates that are making better progress than expected. Japan’s daily coronavirus cases have topped 10,000 for more than a week, hospitals are filling up, and thousands of people infected are isolating at home. About 36% of Japan’s population has been fully vaccinated.