Japan's daily COVID-19 cases topped 200,000 for the first time, according to official data reported Saturday, marking the fourth straight day of a record count during the latest wave of coronavirus infections.

As of Saturday, Japan has logged 11,212,150 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 31,877 deaths. The government said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno tested positive for the virus on the same day.

An expert panel of Japan's health ministry adopted a plan Friday to administer the fifth shot of COVID-19 vaccines mainly to elderly people starting as early as this autumn.

(Cover: People wearing face masks walk in Tokyo's Ginza district on July 21, 2022. /CFP)