Coronavirus outbreak updates: Feb. 10, 2021

Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:

World Health Organization and Chinese experts attend a press conference in Wuhan, China, on Feb. 9, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

As of 11:15 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10

The annual Lunar New Year celebrations will be more muted in Singapore this year as many restrictions to curb the spread of novel coronavirus remain in place, with roving lion dance troupes that are in high demand during the festivities badly hit.
People in Southeast Asia see China as providing the biggest support to the region during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are at the same time becoming more anxious about Beijing's growing political clout, according to a survey by a Singapore-based think tank released on Wednesday.
As the 10th anniversary of the 2011 quake-tsunami disaster approaches, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are considering meeting with survivors online as the coronavirus pandemic makes it difficult for them to visit northeastern Japan, an Imperial Household Agency source said Wednesday.
Japan will contribute an additional $70 million to an international framework to help ensure fair access to coronavirus vaccines for developing countries, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday.

As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 9

Japan is unlikely to inoculate as many people with Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine as planned due to a shortage of special syringes capable of extracting the final dose from vials provided by the drugmaker, health minister Norihisa Tamura said Tuesday.
Calls are growing for China to take adequate responsibility to identify the origins of the novel coronavirus, first detected in its central city of Wuhan, before trying to boost its global clout through "vaccine diplomacy."
Athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be asked to test for the novel coronavirus at least once every four days, the games organizers stipulated Tuesday in its playbook.
An expert from the World Health Organization on Tuesday effectively rejected the possibility of the novel coronavirus having accidentally leaked from a controversial laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
Average overtime pay in Japan in 2020 fell 12.1 percent from the previous year, the sharpest drop in 11 years, as the coronavirus pandemic forced many businesses to cut their operating hours, government data showed Tuesday.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit last year, Japan's booming sauna industry had a problem: packed hot rooms seemed to violate all the new rules of social distancing and ventilation. But instead of spelling the end of the good times, the challenge has led to a burst of innovation, with the emergence of saunas for individuals and even outdoor versions in such scenic spots as riverbanks.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's Cabinet decided Tuesday to disburse 1.14 trillion yen ($11 billion) from reserve funds for fiscal 2020, mainly to increase subsidies for coronavirus pandemic-hit sectors following a one-month extension of the latest emergency declaration.