Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Tests Positive for COVID

Kishida, 65, developed a cough and slight fever on Saturday night and came up positive in a PCR test, according to a statement by the Cabinet Secretariat. He’s currently resting at the prime minister’s official residence, Bloomberg reported.

Coronavirus infections in the country have remained near record highs, with 24,780 COVID cases found in Tokyo alone on Sunday. That’s forcing politicians and health-care officials to reconsider what steps, if any, are needed to contain the outbreak. The same conundrum is facing countries around the globe, as the arrival of more infectious omicron subvariants has led to higher infection rates even as testing in most areas is on the decline.

Kishida, who has been calling on the elderly to get their fourth COVID-19 vaccination, got a booster shot himself earlier this month.

The end of pandemic restrictions on businesses in late March helped to spur the Japanese economy. Consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of Japan’s economic output, led the growth, as did capital expenditure. The relaxing of COVID rules resulted in increased spending at restaurants and hotels, as well as on clothes.

Kishida is able to continue his duties but will cancel a planned trip to Tunisia and the Middle East in the next week, Japanese media reported.

The route of infection is unknown at this time, and only some family members, including Kishida’s wife, are close contacts, broadcaster NHK reported, citing government officials.

The prime minister finished official duties on Aug. 15 and was set to return to official work on Monday after taking summer holiday. He’s now planning to work online, the network said.

Japan’s government is planning to stop requiring medical facilities to report daily case numbers after the current wave of infections subsides, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday, as Japan mulls classifying the pathogen as endemic.