South Korea logs record-high 6 lakh daily COVID-19 cases
What's the story
South Korea's daily COVID-19 case count has shattered the previous record on Thursday, recording over six lakh new cases for the first time ever since the pandemic broke out. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country reported a record 6,21,328 new cases on Thursday. Its death toll has also hit a record high after registering 429 deaths on Thursday.
Context
Why does this story matter?
South Korea is witnessing an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious Omicron variant of coronavirus. Its Thursday tally marks a 55% surge in daily COVID-19 cases in just one day. Earlier, on Wednesday, South Korea reported 4,00,741 new daily COVID-19 cases. As per reports, most of these new cases in the country were locally transmitted.
Details
South Korea's overall caseload crosses 82 lakh
After Thursday's tally, South Korea's overall caseload has mounted to 82,50,592, the KDCA said. On Thursday, 2,082 patients were hospitalized, out of which 1,159 patients have moderate to severe symptoms. With 429 deaths on Thursday, the country's cumulative death count currently stands at 11,481. Previously, South Korea had its deadliest day of the pandemic on Tuesday with 293 deaths reported in 24 hours.
Provinces/cities
Gyeonggi-do province reports most new cases
Among all the provinces in South Korea, Gyeonggi-do reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases on Thursday with 1,81,994 new infections. The province has also recorded the highest number of deaths in the country with 3,261 deaths till now. Among cities, Seoul topped the list after adding 1,28,375 new cases on Thursday. Seoul has also recorded 2,927 deaths till now.
Containment
Government to announce new containment strategy
Meanwhile, the South Korean government is likely to announce its next containment strategy on Friday. The government is also expected to take a call on whether it will continue the current social distancing measures or announce further relaxations. As of now, an 11 pm business curfew and a six-person cap on private gatherings are in place in the country.