Coronavirus outbreak updates: Dec. 13, 2020

As of 11 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 13

• The government is considering temporarily excluding Tokyo and Nagoya from its travel subsidy program to spur domestic tourism amid recent spikes in novel coronavirus cases in the cities, a governor who was presented with the plan said Sunday.
  
  
• Key Olympic representatives expressed support for the staging of the Tokyo Games next summer despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as they met virtually for the Olympic Summit convened and chaired by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Saturday.
  
  
• Nearly nine out of 10 Japanese companies plan to suspend their year-end and New Year parties to help reduce the risk of employees becoming infected with the coronavirus, a recent survey showed, in what would be another pandemic-induced disruption of the country's seasonal traditions.

As of 11 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12

• Japan confirmed record daily coronavirus cases of over 3,000 on Saturday as the country struggles to cope with a resurgence of infections, with Tokyo and several other prefectures reporting single-day records.
  
  
• The Japanese government is considering setting up an integrated database system to facilitate the prompt treatment of, and the development of vaccines for, infectious diseases such as COVID-19, government sources said Saturday.
  
  
• The U.S. drug regulator on Friday granted an emergency use authorization for Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for the country that has suffered the world's highest numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths to begin a mass vaccination program.
  
  
• The number of bankruptcies in Japan's dining industry will likely hit an all-time high in 2020 as many establishments struggle to restore their cash flow amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the results of a recent survey showed.