South Korea
Coronavirus: Highest single-day increase in infections since end-March
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Workers preparing for the reopening of KT Wiz Park in Suwon, South Korea. The government has announced that it will allow baseball fans to again attend games in-person at stadiums, starting today.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
SEOUL • South Korea reported 113 cases of the coronavirus yesterday, the largest one-day increase in almost four months, and officials warned the upward trajectory could continue as affected people enter the country from abroad.
More than three-quarters of the latest reported infections were imported, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.
"Every day, we feel a sense of crisis that Covid-19 pandemic may have not yet peaked," KCDC deputy director Kwon Jun-wook said.
South Korea has reported 14,092 cases and 298 deaths from the pandemic. Yesterday's 113 infections were the highest since March 31.
Around 16 per cent of all the country's infections have been imported, with around 70 per cent of those involving Korean nationals.
Two South Korean military aircraft arrived from Iraq on Friday, carrying 293 workers who were evacuated as cases swelled in that country.
Dr Kwon said yesterday that 71 of those people were infected with Covid-19 and a further 11 people were being reexamined.
"It's likely that there will be similar cases like this Iraq case anywhere in the world, and (South Korea) will repeat the same measure, so we urge people to factor that in when looking at figures of the confirmed cases," Dr Kwon said.
A large number of crew members on a Russian ship have also tested positive, added Dr Kwon.
REUTERS
