By Hyonhee Shin
SEUL (Reuters) – South Korea warned on Wednesday it could reactivate tighter restrictions on social distancing by setting a new daily record for coronavirus cases due to a persistent spike in infections among vaccinated people and severe cases.
The Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) recorded 7,850 cases on Tuesday, and the number of seriously ill patients also reached a new high of 964.
The daily number of infections topped 7,000 for the first time last week, just days after breaking the 5,000 mark, creating increasing pressure on the country’s medical resources.
The total pandemic infections to date have risen to 536,495, including 128 cases of the possibly most communicable Ômicron variant, and 4,456 deaths, according to the KDCA.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the government is considering reactivating strict distancing restrictions, including a ban on meetings and a curfew at dinner times at eating places. It is believed that an official announcement will be made on Friday.
“We are analyzing the current situation very seriously and looking to implement even stronger measures of social distancing,” Kim said at an intra-agency meeting, without giving details.
South Korea has fully vaccinated more than 94% of its adults and is accelerating its current campaign to encourage booster vaccines by shortening intervals for all ages.
But the number of new cases has increased nearly fivefold and serious cases have tripled since social distancing rules were eased last month, in line with the “Living with Covid-19” guideline.
The daily death toll also peaked at 94 on Monday – by early November it was around 10, KDCA data showed.
Officials have ruled out plans for further relaxations, but are still hesitant to trigger a lockdown they promised if more than 75% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds were occupied nationally due to business backlash and increasing public fatigue.
More than 81% of ICU beds are occupied across the country and the proportion rose from 86% in the greater Seoul area this Wednesday.
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