New cases over 2,000 for 2nd day; virus curbs extended for 2 weeks
The country added 2,052 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,001 local infections, raising the total caseload to 232,859, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The daily caseload reached 2,152 the previous day, the second-largest number recorded since the COVID-19 outbreak in January last year after posting a record high of 2,222 on Aug. 11.
Daily cases exceeded 1,000 for the first time on July 7 and have stayed above 1,000 for 45 days in a row.
The country added six more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,197. The fatality rate was 0.94 percent.
Later in the day, health authorities and local governments said 1,753 additional cases were confirmed from 12 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 17 fewer than at the same time the previous day. Daily cases will be counted until midnight and announced the following morning.
While the current social distancing measures were set to expire Sunday, authorities decided to maintain the curbs until Sept. 5 as the fourth wave of the pandemic has yet to come under control.
"The adoption of the toughest distancing rules helped prevent the worst case scenario, but there is still a possibility of an explosive spread of COVID-19," health authorities said in a briefing.
The KDCA said the more transmissable delta virus variant is quite threatening so it won't rush to ease the distancing rules.
The health agency said it may consider drawing up the "With Corona" plans in late September or October.
The greater Seoul area will be under the Level 4 social distancing rules, while most other regions will be subject to Level 3.
Restaurants and cafes in regions under Level 4 distancing rules will be required to close at 9 p.m., an hour earlier than the current 10 p.m. curfew starting Monday.
Only takeout and delivery services are available after that time, in accordance with Level 4 rules.
Private gatherings of three or more people are banned after 6 p.m. But gatherings of four, including two fully vaccinated people, will be allowed even after that time as part of the government's "incentives for the inoculated."
Since early July, South Korea has been grappling with the current wave of the pandemic amid the fast spread of the more transmissible delta variant and slow vaccinations.
The greater Seoul area, the epicenter of the latest wave of the outbreak and home to half of the country's 52 million people, has been under the Level 4 rules, the highest in the country's four-tier system, since July.
The southern resort island of Jeju and some other regions have also been under the toughest virus restrictions.
On top of slow vaccinations, a delay in the vaccine supply by US drugmaker Moderna Inc. has also prompted the decision to extend the current virus curbs.
Moderna recently notified the government it will supply less than half of the 8.5 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine planned for August.
The supply setbacks have raised doubts over the government's plan to administer at least the first shot to 70 percent of the population, or 36 million people, by September and to achieve herd immunity in November.
As of Friday, 24.81 million people, or 48.3 percent of the population, had received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines, the KDCA said.
The number of fully vaccinated people stood at 11.10 million, or 21.6 percent.
Health authorities said around 26% percent, or 13 million, will be fully vaccinated by the end of this month, and the figure will rise to 47% next month.
Of the locally transmitted cases, Seoul reported 549 new cases, and Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds the capital city, identified 633 new patients. The southeastern port city of Busan reported 131 more cases, and Incheon, 40 km west of Seoul, added 117 cases.
The number of new imported cases came to 51, raising the total to 13,045.
Cases from Asian countries except for China stood at 34, with seven cases from the United States, four from Europe, four from Africa, one from Brazil and one from Mexico.
The number of patients with serious symptoms across the country reached 385, down from 390 a day earlier, the KDCA said.
The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries was 202,775, up 1,540 from a day earlier. (Yonhap)
(责任编辑:产品中心)
相关内容
- 微视频广东:在推进中国式现代化建设中走在前列
- Stress level higher for rural dwellers: study
- “倒春寒”来袭我市两条国道挺住了
- Nonghyup chief indicted over alleged illegal electioneering
- 高温难耐,工会驿站化身“清凉小屋”
- 7 Reasons to Explore Boston’s Lesser
- Real headlines from InfoWars, a site that's not banned on Facebook
- Arsonist pet tortoise starts fire that burns neighbor's home and causes $150,000 in damage
- Snapchat shuts down mobile payment service Snapcash
- Sinner vs. Michelsen 2024 livestream: Watch US Open for free
- Naked N. Korean defector attempts robbery, gets arrested
- Verstappen has taken 'another step' since title win
- “倒春寒”来袭我市两条国道挺住了
推荐文章
-
优化广东优质农产品产销资源对接!“农友圈”又有新动作_南方+_南方plus2023年10月,广东省农业农村厅依托“粤农技”微信小程序建成并运营了农业技术需求精准对接服务公益性平台——“农友圈”。截至7 ...[详细]
-
North Koreans overtake South Koreans in TOEFL score in 2020: report
According to a report from the U.S.-based Education Testing Service (ETS), the administrator of TOEF ...[详细] -
杨尚富喂妻子吃饭早在13年前,医生就预言,她活不过一个月。可她不仅活下来了,而且活得很好,看到了孩子成家,孙子出世。姜应秀,雨城区草坝镇一位普通的妇女,历经人生最大的打击——再也无法站立行走,也感受到 ...[详细]
-
Stress level higher for rural dwellers: study
People living in rural parts of the country have a higher stress level than those in cities, and the ...[详细] -
Swifties for Kamala raises over $100,000 in donations for Harris campaign
An estimated 27,000 Swifties gathered last night, not for the Eras Tour, but to rally for the electi ...[详细] -
Elon Musk gave Republicans nearly $90,000 since start of 2017
Someone send a submarine to rescue Elon Musk's reputation.It turns out the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has ...[详细] -
Seoul, Pyongyang restore cross
An official of South Korea's Ministry of Unification calls with his North Korean counterpart at the ...[详细] -
This cat hanging with his boys took the best selfie of all time
It's a depressing thing, to see a picture and instantly know you aren't cool enough to hang with a c ...[详细] -
Apple Watch bands: 5 favorites to consider as Apple Watch 10 looms
It's almost new Apple Watch season, which means it's potentially almost time for you to pick out whi ...[详细] -
North Korea warns youth against adopting foreign speaking habits, lifestyles
In this frame grab from North Korea's Korean Central Television in May, North Korean young people en ...[详细]
热点阅读