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| A health worker at a COVID-19 testing center near Seoul Station in Jung District takes a sample from a visitor Feb. 20. Yonhap |
Daily new COVID-19 infections fell back below 500 here for the first time in four days Friday, although sporadic infections continued to be reported amid worries over a potential resurgence after the government eased social distancing rules earlier this week.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 446 more cases of the coronavirus, including 414 local ones ― down from Thursday's 561 ― and raising the total caseload to 86,574.
It also said there were three more deaths, taking the toll to 1,553.
The daily infection figure remained in the 300s during the latter part of the Lunar New Year holiday that ended Feb. 14, mainly due to less testing.
However, it shot back up into the 600s for Tuesday and Wednesday before falling back to the 500s, Thursday, sparking concerns of a potential resurgence especially after the government eased social distancing rules for small businesses Monday.
Currently, the Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the country's 52 million people, is under Level 2 distancing ― the third highest in a five-tier system ― while other areas are at Level 1.5.
Under the eased social distancing rules, coffee shops, gyms, nightclubs and bars in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province can remain open for an hour longer until 10 p.m. But gatherings of five or more people are still prohibited.
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| A truck carrying AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines moves away from a Republic of Korea Air Force's C-130 aircraft that landed at Jeju International Airport, Feb. 19, before heading to a medical center on the island. The truck was transported by the aircraft from Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, earlier in the day when the government carried out a final exercise for the planned transport of vaccines ahead of the beginning of its inoculation program next week. Yonhap |
As the impact of family gatherings during the recent Lunar New Year holiday has yet to fully materialize, the health authorities said they remain on high alert and will consider adjusting antivirus measures by closely monitoring developments in the days to come.
Sporadic infection clusters continue to be reported at factories and hospitals.
Soonchunhyang University Hospital in central Seoul added 19 cases, raising its cumulative infections to 189; while the number of cases at Hanyang University Hospital in eastern Seoul stood at 113.
A total of 129 infections have been confirmed at a plastic factory in Namyangju, located around 20 kilometers east of Seoul.
The government is now making preparations to start inoculating people, raising expectations that this will help stem any further spread of the highly contagious disease.
On Thursday, the administration carried out a final exercise for the planned transport of AstraZeneca's vaccines ahead of the beginning of its inoculation program Feb. 26.
Of the 414 locally transmitted cases, 119 were reported in Seoul and 161 in the surrounding Gyeonggi Province. Incheon, 40 km west of Seoul, had 35 new cases.
The KDCA said the number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients was 156, up three from the previous day.
The total number of people released from quarantine after recovering stood at 77,083, up 570 from the previous day. (Yonhap)
