Japan could face a large ninth wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the future, a group of experts warned Wednesday, with the health minister noting a recent rise in cases of a new, contagious subvariant of the virus. "A possibility remains that it will be larger than the eighth wave," the experts said in an opinion presented at their meeting. The group involves Takaji Wakita, who heads an advisory panel to the health ministry on COVID-19 countermeasures. They also pointed out that due to the aging population, Japan may see its mortality rate remain high compared to other countries. "There is a possibility that infections will spread toward this summer," he said.

Source: New York Times April 20, 2023 04:11 UTC