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- S. Korea's new daily virus cases surge to 67, total now at 12,373
- No additional virus deaths, death toll now at 280
- 21 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, total cured patients at 10,856
South Korea added 67 new coronavirus cases Saturday, the biggest rise in a little more than three weeks, due to a fresh spike in imported cases, while the community spreads in greater Seoul and a central city outside of the capital continue unabated.
The new cases mark the highest daily tally since the 79 tallied on May 23, raising the total caseload to 12,373, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
Of the new cases, 31 came from overseas and the 36 others were locally transmitted.
Including the imported cases, Seoul reported 14 new cases, raising the total caseload to 1,202, with the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and Incheon logging 17 and five, respectively.
The central city of Daejeon, where a new community spread has emerged, added five more cases, putting the total caseload at 72.
South Korea has seen an increase in the number of infections in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul in recent days, stoking fears that such a community spread outside of the capital and its neighboring areas could mean a possible second wave of infections is on the way.
Most of the Daejeon cases, found in a church and a door-to-door sales company, have so far turned out to be untraceable, making it harder for the authorities to take appropriate steps to contain the virus.
The spike in new daily cases is likely to prompt the government to rethink the current social distancing practices, which it eased in early May after the virus curve flattened from its peak of more than 900 new daily cases in late February.
But a series of sporadic cluster infections in the Seoul area soon emerged, and they are showing no signs of a letup.
There were no additional deaths reported as of Saturday, keeping the total death toll at 280.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,856, up 21 from the previous day. (Yonhap)
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