Germany, Japan’s coronavirus cases spike

Confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany and Japan rose to new levels on Saturday.

In Germany, the cases increased by 3,609, taking the national total to 137,439.

The figures released by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) marked a fourth straight day of a spike in new infections.

Germany’s death toll also rose by 242 to 4,110, the tally showed.

In Japan, confirmed novel coronavirus cases reached 10,000.

This was announced Saturday by the NHK public broadcaster.

The milestone was reached just days after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended a state of emergency countrywide.

The expansion was fuelled by fears that medical services could fail in rural areas, home to many elderly.

Abe on Friday appealed to the nation to stay indoors as new cases hit a record in the capital of Tokyo.

Just over 200 people have died from the virus in Japan.

Tokyo remains the hardest-hit area, reporting 201 new infections on Friday alone – a new record.

On Saturday Tokyo reported 181 new cases, NHK reported.