[ad_1]
SEOUL: South Korea reported a record 1,097 new coronavirus cases on Sunday (Dec. 20), including an outbreak at a Seoul prison that infected 188 as the country’s latest wave of COVID-19 worsens.
With more than 1,000 infections a day for the fifth day in a row, some medical and political experts criticized the government for being too flexible with social distancing rules.
South Korea’s aggressive tracking and testing early in the pandemic had made the country a global success story as many nations saw infections spike, leading to massive lockdowns.
But the recent surge, stemming primarily from widespread clusters rather than the large, isolated outbreaks of previous waves, has confused efforts to contain it and the country is now running out of hospital beds.
READ: Six South Koreans die of COVID-19 while waiting for hospital beds: Report
The daily total surpassed Wednesday’s record 1,076, according to data from the Korea Disease Prevention and Control Agency (KDCA). The new cases brought the total coronavirus infections to 49,665, with 674 deaths from COVID-19 as of midnight Saturday.
The prison in southeast Seoul had 188 infected inmates and staff, according to KDCA, bringing the total number of facility-related infections to 215.
Former Conservative President Lee Myung-bak, who is in prison after being convicted of corruption, has tested negative for the virus, a Justice Ministry official said.
There are also smaller outbreaks in nursing homes, hospitals, churches, a ski resort, and a golf course.
“It is a dangerous situation,” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said at a briefing, adding that efforts to extend testing to asymptomatic people should slow the spread of the virus.
The government has been reluctant to tighten social distancing restrictions at the highest level, worrying that businesses will stop and hurt the economy.
READ: South Korea to open more COVID-19 testing sites
However, critics say the government needs to take the bullet and impose stricter restrictions.
“The government relaxed the social distancing rules too early. When it was necessary to strengthen them, the government acted too slowly,” said Lee Hyokmin, a professor in the department of laboratory medicine at Yonsei University.
South Korea’s drug watchdog is likely to approve the emergency use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine early next year, with vaccinations likely to begin in February or March, Prime Minister Chung Sye said. -kyun.
The government was also in talks with Pfizer Inc, Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen about COVID-19 vaccines, and was close to signing agreements with two of them, he added. He did not elaborate.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
