William here. Kumanichi provides some frightening statistics: those initially diagnosed with the corona virus in Kumamoto have surpassed 200 daily for the first time. More frightening, the percentage of hospital beds devoted to corona patients has surpassed 60%. And this is just as the new Delta variant, which apparently has a higher contagion rate, appears. One important note: Being vaccinated does not mean your body is cleared of the virus, or even that you cannot catch the virus (if you do catch it after being vaccinated, you’re likely to be asymptomatic). It simply means that your body is conditioned to recognize the virus as a threat and neutralize it rapidly. (As an example, it is likely that the percentage of those infected with corona in California and Florida are roughly the same, but most Californians are vaccinated and masks are mandatory, while the rate in Florida is low and mandating masks is illegal; this would explain why California is reporting 141.1 new coronavirus cases for every 100,000 residents, less than one-fourth that of Florida’s rate of 653.8 weekly; in comparison, for Kumamoto City, the current rate is apparently 74.5). So even if you’ve been vaccinated twice, continue to wear a mask. Not only will it help those around you (you may still be infectious even if vaccinated), it also may help prevent you from catching a different strain. The point is, now is precisely not the time to let your guard down. NIID (the National Institution of Infectious Diseases) has periodic English-language updates on covid: https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/en/2019-ncov-e/10556-covid19-ab45th-en.html and here is the Kumanichi article on which this post is based: https://nordot.app/799108156839346176?c=92619697908483575