{"id":139761,"date":"2021-09-25T13:08:53","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T13:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=139761"},"modified":"2021-09-25T13:08:53","modified_gmt":"2021-09-25T13:08:53","slug":"south-koreas-daily-covid-cases-top-3000-for-first-time-after-holiday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/business\/south-koreas-daily-covid-cases-top-3000-for-first-time-after-holiday\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea's daily Covid cases top 3,000 for first time after holiday"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Korea's daily Covid-19 infections topped 3,000 for the first time as an outbreak fueled by this week's three-day holiday spreads, authorities said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Friday's 3,273 coronavirus cases surpassed the previous high a day earlier, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said, taking the nation's tally to 298,402 infections and 2,441 deaths.<\/p>\n
Domestically transmitted cases accounted for 3,245 of the new infections, while 28 were imported. More than 77% of the former were in Seoul and areas neighboring the capital, which is home to about half the population of 52 million.<\/p>\n
"We estimate that the surge in travel during the Thanksgiving holiday, as well as the increase in person-to-person contact, could be major reasons for the sharp increase," said the agency's director, Jeong Eun-kyeong.<\/p>\n
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The current outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant has contributed to the jump in infections, she told a briefing.<\/p>\n
Daily infections may continue to surge over the next one or two weeks, she added, urging people to delay or cancel private gatherings over the period.<\/p>\n
The mortality rate and the number of severe cases remain relatively low and steady at 0.82% and 339, respectively, helped by vaccinations that focused on older people at high risk of severe infection, the KDCA said.<\/p>\n
The number of coronavirus tests jumped more than 50% to 227,874 from a week earlier, it added.<\/p>\n
Authorities have urged those returning from the holiday to get tested even for the mildest symptoms similar to Covid-19, especially before going back to work.<\/p>\n
By Friday, 73.5% of the population had received at least one dose of vaccine, with nearly 45% fully inoculated.<\/p>\n