TOTAL COVID-19 CASES SURPASS 200,000

[Anchor Lead]

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Korea has surpassed 200,000. It took a year and two months for the cases to top 100,000, but only four months to hit the 200,000 mark. Health authorities are scrambling to curb the fourth wave as the number of cases remains high.

[Pkg]

One of the patients in this nursing hospital in Seoul was diagnosed with COVID-19 last Friday. In just two days 10 more people including hospital workers and other patients contracted the virus. Six of them had been fully vaccinated, one had received the first vaccine dose less than two weeks ago, and the remaining four were unvaccinated. This shows how important it is to wear masks and take precautions even after vaccination.

[Soundbite] Park Yu-mi(Seoul Metropolitan Gov't) : "Several patients shared the same room, and some did not wear masks properly. They apparently contracted the virus through personal contact during dialysis and rehabilitation treatment."

In Seoul, new daily cases fell to about 300 during the weekend, but health authorities say it’s still too soon to let our guard down. Daily cases in the greater Seoul area fell slightly from 996 three weeks ago to 960 last week. Whether coronavirus cases are decreasing will become clear after this week. In non-capital regions the average daily number of cases rose last week, but the rate of increase has slowed down. Cases are rising among young people, with those in their 20s making up the majority, followed by teens and those in their 30s.

[Soundbite] Jeong Eun-kyeong(KDCA Director) : "The number of cases is unlikely to decrease rapidly because it used to be 500-600 for months."

Infections caused by personal contact in private gatherings keep rising. In non-capital regions the outbreak is mostly led by local clusters. The current restrictions are to last until this Sunday. Health authorities say they are monitoring the situation and discussing additional measures.