Tokyo sees record-breaking number of new COVID-19 cases as the 2020 Olympics are being held

• Tokyo reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday.
• The Japanese capital saw 2,848 new coronavirus cases, topping its earlier record of 2,520 daily cases on Jan. 7.
• The Olympic Games have been underway in Tokyo since last week.

Tokyo - where the 2020 Olympic Games are now being held - reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday.

The Japanese capital saw 2,848 new coronavirus cases, topping its earlier record of 2,520 daily cases on Jan. 7, the Associated Press reported.

Tokyo has now registered more than 200,000 coronavirus infections since the COVID-19 pandemic started last year.

The 2020 Tokyo Games officially kicked off last week without spectators due to rising coronavirus cases.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he was not considering suspending the games despite Tokyo's increase in COVID-19 cases.

"There is no worry about that," Suga said, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Suga urged locals to avoid non-essential outings, telling folks, "Please watch the Olympic Games on TV at home."

COVID-19 has so far infected more than 883,000 people in Japan and killed more than 15,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, COVID-19 cases have been increasing across the globe largely among those who are unvaccinated.