New COVID-19 cases in South Korea exceeded 7,000 for the third consecutive day yesterday, as a record-breaking surge weighs on hospitals and threatens the country’s goals to weather the pandemic without lockdowns.
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a COVID-19 response meeting that the country could be forced to take “extraordinary” measures if the surge does not slow soon.
Officials issued administrative orders requiring hospitals around the country to designate a total of 2,000 more beds for COVID-19 treatment.
Photo: AP
Kim said that the South Korean government would also speed up the administration of booster shots by shortening the interval between the second and third COVID-19 vaccine injections from four or five months to three months starting next week.
About 41.5 million people, or 81 percent of the population of more than 51 million, have been fully vaccinated, but only 10 percent have received booster shots.
The spread of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the past few weeks has been accompanied by a spike in hospitalizations and deaths, many among people in their 60s or older whose immunities have waned after being inoculated early in the vaccine rollout, which began in February.
Officials tightened restrictions starting on Monday, banning private social gatherings of seven or more people in the greater Seoul area, and requiring adults to verify their vaccination status at restaurants and other indoor venues.
However, Kim said that such measures have not yet showed an effect in slowing transmissions.
“If it becomes clear that we aren’t succeeding in reversing this crisis situation within the next few days, the government will have no other choice but to employ extraordinary anti-virus measures, including strong social distancing,” said Kim, the country’s second-highest official after South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
South Korean Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lee Ki-il said that officials might further reduce the limit on social gatherings, and restore business-hour restrictions at restaurants and bars that were lifted last month if things continue to look bad next week.
“We will try our best to avoid a lockdown,” Lee said.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said that about 5,300 of the 7,022 new cases reported yesterday were from metropolitan Seoul, where the virus has hit hardest.
The country’s death toll is at 4,130, after 53 people died from the virus within 24 hours, while 852 others were in serious or critical conditions.
South Korea has also tightened its border controls to fend off the new Omicron variant since identifying its first cases last week that were linked to arrivals from Nigeria.
The KDCA said health workers confirmed three more Omicron infections yesterday, bringing the tally to 63.
Scientists say it is not yet clear whether Omicron is more contagious or dangerous than other variants.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
‘DISCRIMINATION’: The US Office of Personnel Management ordered that public DEI-focused Web pages be taken down, while training and contracts were canceled US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and called to restore “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by former US president Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It is using one of the
RSS