Korea reports 594 new virus cases, total almost 3,000
Posters warning about the new coronavirus are displayed as workers wearing protective gears spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at a subway station in Seoul, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. AP
South Korea reported a whopping 594 additional cases of the new coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total infections here to 2,931 as the country intensified its anti-virus fight with a massive program of testing.
So far, 16 people have died in South Korea from the virus that emerged in China.
Of the 594 new cases, 476 were in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, while 60 were reported in neighboring North Gyeongsang Province, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
Other major provinces and cities have also reported some infections, with Seoul reporting an additional 12.
Since raising the virus alert level to "red," the highest level, Sunday, the health authorities have focused on halting the spread of the virus in Daegu, the epicenter of the outbreak here, and North Gyeongsang Province.
Experts said the number of confirmed cases is expected to jump in the coming days as health authorities have begun testing more than 210,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus at the center of the rapid spread in other provinces. (Yonhap)