New cases bounce back to near 700
A medical worker takes samples for COVID-19 at a makeshift testing center near Seoul Station in central Seoul, June 1. Yonhap
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained in the 600s for the second consecutive day Thursday due to continued cluster infections, and the country's inoculation drive is on a roll with a smooth vaccine supply.
The country reported 681 more COVID-19 cases, including 672 local infections, raising the total caseload to 142,157, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
The daily caseload remained in the 400s for the past three days partly due to fewer tests over the weekend.
There were three additional deaths, raising the total to 1,968.
The proportion of untraceable cases stood at 28 percent over the past week, complicating authorities' antivirus efforts.
As the vaccine rollout among the elderly population gains pace, social distancing guidelines were partly eased for vaccinated people Tuesday.
While up to eight immediate family members are currently allowed to gather, those who have received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccines are exempted from the distancing rule.
Authorities plan to further ease virus curbs next month if over 13 million, or a quarter of the nation's population, get jabs and the average number of new daily cases stay below 1,000.
Starting in July, people who have gotten their first shots will be allowed to take their masks off outdoors and will get discounts on fees at major public facilities, they said.
A total of 6.74 million people, including 381,551 the previous day, have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines since the vaccine rollout on Feb. 26, taking up 13.1 percent of the total population.
Vaccine doses by AstraZeneca and Pfizer were administered to 4.3 million and 2.4 million people, respectively.
The KDCA said 2.2 million people, or 4.3 percent of the total population, have been fully vaccinated, with 22,229 receiving their second jabs the previous day.
The U.S. government's supply of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine for 1 million people is expected to arrive Saturday, following Washington's pledge to donate vaccines for Korean troops.
The Janssen vaccines will be given to reservists, members of civil defense and those related to the country's defense and foreign affairs, and those aged under 30 will be excluded amid concerns over blood clots.
Of the locally transmitted cases, 215 came from Seoul and 207 from the surrounding Gyeonggi Province.
A high school in northern Seoul has reported 35 cases among its students, and analysis of testing on all students is currently under way. A total of 26 cases were traced to a workplace in southern Seoul.
The southeastern city of Daegu reported 73 new cases, and the southeastern port city of Busan had 32 more patients.
There were nine additional imported cases.
The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients came to 149, down two from the previous day.
The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries was 132,699, up 631 from a day earlier. (Yonhap)