Daily virus cases above 1,000 for 4th day, concerns rise over hospital capacity
The country's daily new COVID-19 cases topped the 1,000 mark for the fourth consecutive day for Friday on continued infection clusters nationwide, deepening concerns over hospital intensive care unit (ICU) bed shortages for seriously ill patients. Yonhap
The country's daily COVID-19 cases topped the 1,000 mark for the fourth consecutive day for Friday on continued infection clusters nationwide, deepening concerns over hospital intensive care unit (ICU) bed shortages for seriously ill patients.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), reported 1,053 new infections, including 1,029 local cases, raising the total caseload to 48,570,.
This is the first time that the daily number has stayed above 1,000 for four straight days. After reaching a record high of 1,078 for Tuesday, the daily caseload inched down to 1,014 the following day and then bounced back to 1,062 for Thursday.
Infection clusters have been breaking out across the country, with senior citizen care hospitals, religious facilities, schools and offices hit particularly hard.
Of the locally transmitted cases, more than 70 percent were from the greater Seoul area, which is home to around half of the country's population of more than 50 million.
The continued surge in new cases has caused a shortage of ICU and other hospital beds for COVID-19 patients.
This month alone, six patients have died of the disease while waiting to be admitted to hospitals, and the figure is feared to grow as the number of critically ill patients has been rising faster than before.
The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients came to 275 for Friday, up 29 from the previous day.
The KDCA reported 14 additional deaths, raising the total to 659.
The government said it has been working to mobilize all resources available and to partner with private medical institutions to prepare more beds to prevent additional fatalities.
The resurgent pandemic has led the government to review raising its social distancing measures to Level 3, the highest of its five-tier system.
Level 2.5 social distancing guidance has been in place in the greater Seoul area since last week, but so far has failed to stop the spread of the virus.
As the higher level is expected to have far-reaching impacts on the economy, the government has been reluctant to impose it, saying it will prioritize the implementation of the current antivirus measures more thoroughly.
The number of people released from quarantine after making a recovery was 352, raising the total to 34,334, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)