New virus cases near 500, reaching 3-week high
A soldier takes a virus test at an early COVID-19 testing center near Seoul Station in Jung District on Mar. 12. Yonhap
New daily COVID-19 infections here reached their highest in 22 days, Friday, stubbornly remaining above 400 for the fifth consecutive day.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 490 more coronavirus cases, including 474 local ones, raising the total caseload to 95,176.
In addition there were five more deaths, increasing the total to 1,667.
The daily number of new infections has stayed in the 400s since earlier in the week, with 470 cases for Tuesday, 465 for Wednesday and 488, Thursday, stoking concerns about a resurgence. The latest figure is the highest since Feb. 19, when 561 cases were confirmed.
The tally had been steadily declining since it reached a peak on Dec. 25 with 1,241 cases, on the back of strong anti-virus restrictions, including a ban on private gatherings of five or more people.
But the country has recently struggled to flatten the virus curve, with the daily figure stuck in the 300s to 400s over the past few weeks amid a spate of new infection clusters, and increasing travel due to the warmer weather.
The government earlier announced it will maintain its current virus curbing measures, originally set to expire Sunday, until March 28 to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The measures include attendance caps at schools, religious activities and sports events.
The greater Seoul area is currently under Level 2 social distancing measures, the third highest in the country's five-tier system, while other regions are at Level 1.5.
The administration is working to finalize a new four-tier social distancing system by the end of the month. However, the authorities say this will only be implemented after the number of cases falls significantly.
A ski resort in Gangwon Province is crowded March 12, raising concerns about the spread of COVID-19 as infection clusters were confirmed recently in a nearby community. Yonhap
South Korea's vaccination campaign, which started Feb. 26, has picked up steam, with 1 percent of the country's 52 million population receiving their first jabs.
A total of 583,658 people, including 37,381, March 12, have been inoculated.
The country approved the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine for people aged 65 and older based on new overseas studies Thursday. The health authorities initially excluded the age group from the pharmaceutical company's vaccine, citing insufficient data.
On Saturday, the government said the general public will begin being vaccinated in April, with those aged 65 and older given priority.
The country aims to achieve herd immunity by November.
Of the 474 locally transmitted new cases, 138 were reported in Seoul and 160 in the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, while Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, identified 26.
The three areas, which make up the greater capital region and serve as home to about half of the nation's 52 million population, accounted for 68.4 percent of the new local cases.
There were an additional 16 imported cases, raising that total caseload to 7,283.
The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients was 126, down one from the previous day.
The total number of people released from quarantine after making a recovery was 86,625, up 882 from a day earlier. (Yonhap)