DAILY INFECTIONS SURPASS 2,000

[Anchor Lead]

Daily coronavirus cases in Korea have surpassed two thousand yet again. The government is to decide on Friday whether or not to extend the current restrictions.

[Pkg]

The nation's daily COVID-19 tally surpassed two thousand again. At 2152, it's the second highest since the pandemic began. Health authorities say 2114 new local and 38 imported cases have been reported. The greater Seoul area added 570 cases, Gyeonggi-do Province — 641, Incheon — 153. Busan had 136 new cases, Gyeongsangnam-do Province 107, Ulsan 68. Some 24.3 million people, or 47.3 percent of the population, have received their first shots. About 21 percent, or around 10.81 million people, are now fully vaccinated. Increased travel during the holiday period is likely to have fuelled the spike. Last week alone, travel in the greater Seoul area increased more than 4 percent from the week prior. The number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients remains at around 300. Most of them are in their 50s. The number of infected senior citizens was relatively less, thanks to the vaccination campaign. Hospital beds for critically ill patients nationwide are operating at 65 percent capacity. Daejeon and Chungcheongnam-do Province experience shortages of ICU beds. The government plans to secure 171 more beds at general hospitals through an executive order.

[Soundbite] Park Hyang(Central Disaster Management HQs) : "We have set up a task force for securing hospital beds at general hospitals, especially at state university hospitals."

Health authorities are urging people who have visited crowded areas during the summer vacation season or who developed symptoms after returning from their vacations to get tested. The government will announce on Friday whether or not the current restrictions will be extended.