The Japanese capital of Tokyo on Thursday raised its healthcare alert to the highest level for the first time, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

At a coronavirus monitoring committee meeting attended by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, a health official said it had become difficult to balance the care of COVID-19 patients with regular ones as hospital beds filled up, assigning a "red" alert for medical preparedness.

Tokyo's new COVID-19 cases surged to a record high of more than 800 on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said, surpassing the previous record of 678 reached a day earlier.

The city has already set the alert for infections at the top level, but healthcare had remained at the second-highest level for 23 straight weeks since July, according to NHK.

(With input from Reuters)