Your trusted source

Tokyo reported a record daily number of Covid cases on Tuesday as the virus spreads in the Olympic host city, according to The Independent.

The number of new infections hit a record high of 2,848 on day 4 of the Games, official figures showed.

That was double Monday’s figure of 1,429, which itself was almost double the number on the same day a week earlier.

Fears about a surge in Covid cases in Japan linked to the competition threatened to overshadow the Games and led to opposition from sections of the Japanese public.

Olympics visitors have already brought fast-spreading variants of the virus into a nation that is only approaching 25 per cent fully vaccinated.

Olympics organisers reported 16 new Games-related cases on Monday, bringing the total since 1 July to 148.

Several athletes have had to withdraw from their fixtures and organisers have decided to bar spectators from most venues as a Covid precaution.