SOUTH KOREA FACES A ‘NEW VIRUS WAVE’ WITH 70,000 INFECTIONS IN ONE DAY

Tue 19 July 2022:

Due to the rapid spread of a highly contagious omicron subvariant, coronavirus infections are once again on the rise in South Korea, local media reported on Tuesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a total of 73,528 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours, more than doubling the number from the day before.

The increase, which began toward the end of June, was attributed by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) to the omicron subvariant BA.

The daily count climbed over 10,000 on June 29 for the first time in almost three weeks, before crossing 20,000 on July 9 and then hitting 40,000 last week, read the report.

Warning that the country has entered a “new virus wave,” the KDCA said the BA.5 subvariant accounted for 52% of all cases in the third week of July, up from the first week’s 24%.

There were also 12 more virus-related fatalities in South Korea over the past day, raising the overall death toll to 24,765.

The government has advised fourth vaccine shots for people 50 and older as well as for people aged 18 and above who have underlying medical conditions, the report added, even though most virus curbs have been eased in the country.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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