Korea's daily coronavirus cases drop to 200,000s
People wait in line for a COVID-19 test at a pop-up screening clinic in western Seoul, March 20. Korea's new COVID-19 cases dropped to the 200,000s for the first time in 10 days. Yonhap
Korea's new COVID-19 cases dropped to the 200,000s for the first time in 10 days Sunday due to less testing over the weekend, but concerns remain high that infections could spike again, after the government eased social distancing rules this week.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 209,169 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 9,582,815.
Sunday's total marked a sharp decline from a record high of 621,281 reported for Wednesday. The number of new daily cases usually shrinks at the beginning of the week due to less testing over the weekend.
The death toll came to 12,757, up 329 from Saturday, the KDCA said; while the number of critically ill patients stood at 1,030, an increase of 97.
Despite recent letups, concerns lingered that daily infections could spike again, following the government easing social distancing measures this week as part of efforts to help small merchants and business owners taking the brunt of the pandemic due to less foot traffic and consumption. (Yonhap)