S. Korea reports 12 new cases of coronavirus infection
South Korea's new coronavirus cases slowed Thursday, but health authorities are still fretting over further community spread tied to entertainment facilities and a hospital.
South Korea's new coronavirus cases slowed Thursday, but health authorities are still fretting over further community spread tied to entertainment facilities and a hospital.
The 12 new cases detected Wednesday raised the total caseload to 11,122, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Of them, 10 were local infections.
The country reported new 32 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, marking an uptick in nine days, as it reeled from a steady rise in nightclub-related cases in Itaewon, a popular nightlife area in the capital.
South Korea has successfully flattened the virus curve with massive and swift testing, but sporadic cluster infections continue to complicate public health authorities' quarantine efforts.
Cases tied to clubs in Itaewon have not evolved into explosive infections but have continued to increase steadily. The total caseload linked to the Itaewon cluster reached at least 197 as of late Wednesday, according to the Seoul city government.
Since four nurses working at Samsung Medical Center, one of the country's five major general hospitals, were confirmed to be infected, health authorities have been conducting tests on 1,207 people.
The KCDC said more related cases are likely to spring up, as transmission routes are still unknown.
Health authorities remain alert over further community spread, as school began to reopen the previous day, starting with high school seniors.
But on the first day of school reopening, Incheon, west of Seoul, and Anseong, south of the capital, ordered third graders at 75 high schools to return home. Two high school students tested positive for COVID-19 in Incheon, in what could be infections tied to the Itaewon outbreak.
The country, meanwhile, added two imported cases and reported one additional death, raising the total death toll to 264.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,135, up 69 from the previous day. (Yonhap)