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| A medical worker in a booth takes a nasal sample from a man for a COVID-19 testing at a testing site in Seoul, July 8. AP-Yonhap |
South Korea posted its highest-ever number of daily COVID-19 infections for the third straight day Friday, prompting the government to impose the highest level of antivirus measures on the greater Seoul area from Monday.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 1,378 confirmed cases, including 1,320 local ones ― the highest figure since the first confirmed infection was reported here Jan. 20 last year ― raising the total caseload to 166,722.
This was also the first time the country’s daily cases rose above 1,200 for three straight days, as the nation is grappling with a fourth wave of infections; there were 1,212 for Tuesday, 1,275 for Wednesday, and 1,316, Thursday.
Two more deaths were reported raising the toll to 2,038.
The government earlier said it will raise its social distancing measures to the toughest level in the greater Seoul area, which includes the capital, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western port city of Incheon, for two weeks.
Under the Level 4 rules, private gatherings of three or more people will be banned after 6 p.m. and in-person classes will be ended. Weddings and funerals can only be attended by close relatives. Night clubs, pubs and sports facilities will be ordered to close, while restaurants will be allowed to have customers dining in until 10 p.m.
As the nation is hit by the fourth wave, the health authorities warned that the worst may be yet to come. In the worst-case scenario, daily new infections could reach 2,140 later this month, the KDCA said. Unless things do get worse, KDCA Jeong Eun-kyeong said the average daily new infections could stand at 1,400 in late July.
If vaccinations gain pace and people strictly comply with the antivirus measures, the number could drop to between 260 and 415 in September, the KDCA noted.
Infection clusters have recently been breaking out at various places, such as companies, schools and department stores, across the greater Seoul area amid a surge in cases of the contagious delta COVID-19 variant.
Of the local infections reported Saturday, 501 came from Seoul, followed by 441 in Gyeonggi Province and 79 in Incheon, accounting for 77.3 percent of the total. It also marked the first time the combined figures in the three areas surpassed 1,000.
There were 58 additional imported cases, down 22 from the previous day.
The total number of people released from quarantine after making a recovery was 153,153, up 655 from a day earlier. (Yonhap)
Daily COVID-19 cases hit new high
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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