SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) – The number of new cases of coronavirus in South Korea this Sunday remained in the margin of 1,400 for the second day in a row, with fewer tests having been carried out over the weekend, in amid concerns about the increase in cases in areas outside the capital, the impending summer holiday season and the prevalence of the Indian delta variant.
South Korea reported 1,454 additional COVID-19 cases, including 1,402 local infections, bringing the total number of cases to 177,951, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). .
The figure represents a decrease of one case compared to the previous day and the highest for a weekend since the first case reported in the country, on January 20 of last year. The previous record was recorded last Sunday, when the number stood at 1,324.
It also marked the first time that the country’s daily infections remained at four figures for 12 consecutive days. The figure for this Sunday is compared with the 1,599 cases reported on Thursday, the 1,536 on Friday and the 1,455 on the previous Saturday. Last Wednesday the figure reached a new record, with 1,615 additional cases.
The country added two more deaths from the virus, for a total of 2,057. The death rate reached 1.16 percent.
The Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the country’s 51.34 million people, has become the focus of the recent surge in new confirmed cases.
Under the most severe restrictions, gatherings of more than two people are prohibited after 6:00 p.m. and entertainment establishments, including nightclubs and bars, must close, while restaurants can have customers on the premises until 10 p.m. : 00 pm
Because the infections seem to be spreading in regions outside the capital area, the government plans to ban, this Sunday, the gatherings of more than five people in such areas.
As of this Sunday, a total of 16.13 million people – or 31.4 percent of the country’s population – have received their first injections of the COVID-19 vaccines.
The KDCA said 6.56 million people have been fully vaccinated, representing 12.8 percent of the population.
Starting Monday, health authorities will administer the first dose of Pfizer vaccines to high school seniors and teachers across the country, totaling 650,000 people, who were selected as preferred groups for vaccines given that students they are scheduled to take the national college entrance exam in mid-November. They are scheduled to receive their second dose of the vaccines in mid-August.
Among the new local infections, 523 cases were reported in Seoul, 373 in Gyeonggi province, which surrounds the capital, and 83 in the western port city of Incheon.
The southeastern port city of Busan added 70 new cases, and neighboring South Gyeongsang Province added 99 additional cases.
The country added 52 imported cases, an increase of one compared to the previous day.
By country, 12 cases came from arrivals from Indonesia, followed by those from the Philippines and Uzbekistan with seven each.
The total number of people discharged from quarantine, after fully recovering, was 158,953, registering an increase of 993 compared to the previous day. This indicates that about 89.3 percent of the reported patients are completely cured.
The number of critically ill patients reached 187, or two less than the previous day.
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