TOKYO/LONDON/CAIRO -- Japan has seen COVID-19 cases spike as the omicron variant spreads. Major cities like Tokyo saw the first sharp increase in early January, much later than cities abroad. If overseas cases are any guide, the wave of Japanese infections is unlikely to peak until early February.
Omicron was first detected in South Africa last November. In the country's Gauteng Province where Johannesburg is located, the seven-day moving average of omicron cases more than doubled on a weekly basis on Nov. 17, marking the start of an uptrend. Cases in South Africa appeared to have passed their peak 31 days later after having dropped more than 10%.
