重症者、年初の８倍に　専門家、警戒呼び掛け―オミクロン「第６波」

　新型コロナウイルス感染症の重症者数が増え続けている。流行の「第６波」襲来で、直近の全国の重症者は年初の約８倍に膨れ上がった。主流の変異株「オミクロン株」は軽症傾向が指摘されるが、重症者の急増に、専門家らは強い警戒感を示している。
　厚生労働省によると、自治体公表の重症者は１月１日には５１人だった。新規感染者数の急増に伴い、１週間後には８９人、２週間後には２３３人となり、２１日には約３カ月ぶりに４００人を超えた。２３日は４３０人で、過去最多だった第５波の２２２３人（昨年９月４日）の約５分の１となった。（2022/01/23-14:25）

The number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms has jumped around eightfold from the start of 2022 in Japan with the arrival of the sixth wave of infections across the country.
   Although the omicron coronavirus variant, which has become the dominant virus strain, is said to tend to cause milder symptoms, infectious disease experts have voiced a strong sense of vigilance against the rapid increase of seriously ill patients.
   According to the health ministry, the combined total of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms announced by local governments across Japan stood at 51 on Jan. 1. The figure climbed to 89 in a week, to 233 in two weeks and topped 400 on Friday for the first time in about three months, in line with the increase of new infection cases.
   On Saturday, there were 424 severely ill COVID-19 patients in the country, about one-fifth of a record high scored on Sept. 4 last year during the fifth wave of infections, at 2,223.
   The health ministry estimates that the proportion of suspected omicron cases has climbed to around 93 pct of all new coronavirus infection cases confirmed in Japan.