New virus cases over 400 for 2nd day
Commuters cross a zebra crossing, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Seoul, Feb. 3, 2021. Reuters
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed above 400 for a second straight day on Thursday as cluster infections continue to pop up across the country despite extended virus curbs.
The country added 451 more COVID-19 cases, including 429 local infections, raising the total caseload to 79,762, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The daily caseload bounced back to over 400 on Wednesday after staying under 400 the three previous days.
New virus infections had been slowing down since the third wave of the pandemic peaked at a record high of 1,241 on Dec. 25.
But daily infections recently spiked due mainly to cluster infections from unauthorized education facilities run by a local Christian missionary group, called the International Mission (IM).
Group infections have been reported from private gatherings and various facilities as well.
Amid a flare-up in virus cases, the KDCA on Sunday extended Level 2.5 social distancing rules, the second highest in a five-tier scheme, in the greater Seoul area and Level 2 measures in other regions for two weeks to come.
Under the extended rules, gatherings of five or more people are also banned across almost the entire country.
Authorities remain cautious about easing social distancing rules before the Lunar New Year holiday that starts later next week, saying relaxing the curbs runs the risk of an uptick as cluster infections have continued to pop up at religious facilities, hospitals and other risk-prone establishments.
Of the newly identified local infections, 166 cases were reported in Seoul and 128 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, reported 43 more cases.
South Chungcheong Province reported 13 more virus cases, and the southern port city of Busan added 26 more cases.
The country added 22 imported cases, increasing the total to 6,425. Twelve cases came from the United States, followed by six cases from Asian countries except for China, three from Europe and one from Africa.
The country added seven more deaths, raising the total to 1,448. The fatality rate was 1.82 percent.
The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients reached 211, down from 220 a day earlier.
The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries stood at 69,704, up 405 from the previous day.
The country has carried out 5,803,095 coronavirus tests since Jan. 3, 2020. The country reported its first case on Jan. 20 last year. (Yonhap)