Olympic host Tokyo hits record 2,848 COVID-19 cases, seeks more hospital beds

FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective face mask, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, walks in a local shopping street decorated with Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games flags, in Tokyo, Japan, May 7, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) -Tokyo's 2,848 COVID-19 infections on Tuesday were the Olympic host city's highest since the pandemic began, officials said, as media reported that authorities had asked hospitals to prepare more beds for patients as the Delta variant drives the surge.

The rise in cases threatens to further erode support for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, whose ratings have slid to their lowest level since he took office last September, in large part because of his haphazard handling of the pandemic.