South Korea announced on Wednesday a record number of new coronavirus cases and the third highest number of deaths in a day since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country, while patients in critical condition are at an unprecedented level, in colder weather and – during the effects of a reduction in vaccine protection, shortly after some of the protection measures were relaxed following the government’s decision to “live with the virus”.
The health authorities informed that in the 24 hours until midnight yesterday Tuesday, 7,175 cases of SARS-CoV-2 were confirmed and 63 patients died due to complications of COVID-19.
The pandemic death toll in the Asian country has surpassed the 4,000 death mark – now at 4,020 – with an estimated half a million (489,484).
The daily death toll is the third heaviest since the pandemic struck South Korea in January 2020. The record of 70 deaths was announced on Saturday; the second heaviest death toll was 64 yesterday, Tuesday.
The increase in cases (+2,221 in 24 hours) is the largest ever recorded on a daily basis. The rolling average of cases confirmed daily in seven days increased to 5,012.
The number of critically ill patients also reached an unprecedented level, at 840 (+66 in 24 hours). The health system was already under pressure.
The day before yesterday, Monday, partly taking back the easing of measures, the government again imposed a limit on the number of citizens who can gather indoors until the beginning of January. It is trying to encourage more citizens to be vaccinated.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Kim Jong-un said during a meeting with a panel of experts and officials that “in the capital, where 80% of cases are reported, we continue to add beds to hospitals”, but acknowledged that it is “difficult to catch up”. with which infections increase “from the virus.
Mr Kim specifically called on senior citizens to take their commemorative doses, as 35% of people infected are over 60 years old. 84% of cases of severe disease correspond to this age category. He also urged teens to get vaccinated.
At the same time, the cases of the new Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 have reached 38 (+2 in 24 hours).
At the front of the immunization campaign, which began on February 26, 83.3% of the population of 52 million have received the first dose of vaccine, 80.7% have been fully vaccinated, and 8.8% have received a booster dose, according to with the latest data from the Korea Office of Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA).
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
.
