S. KOREA REPORTS 2,564 NEW CASES

[Anchor Lead]

2,564 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Korea for Thursday. Daily cases have been above two thousand for seven straight days. The number of seriously ill Covid patients and deaths is declining as a result of mass vaccinations.

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Nineteen coronavirus cases have been detected at this lodging facility in Seoul, 17 of them are foreigners. Outbreaks that began at large hospitals are also spreading. Nearly 90 cases have been confirmed at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital Seoul. Eleven more infections have been added in an outbreak at Samsung Medical Center.

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-won(Central Disease Control Headquarters) : "A possible shortage of health workers is a concern, as infections are occurring at medical facilities as well. Patients, their guardians and caretakers should get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves and their families."

The daily tally in the nation remained above two thousand for seven consecutive days. A vast majority of them still occur in the capital area. The virus reproduction rate has increased for three straight weeks and now stands at 1.04. In the greater Seoul area it's 1.08. While the number of post-Chuseok infections is surging, the number of ICU patients and fatalities is declining steadily. Health authorities attribute the decrease to mass vaccinations. About 96 percent of ICU patients are unvaccinated or only received initial shots.

[Soundbite] Sohn Young-rae(Central Disaster Management HQs) : "The health care system is less burdened now, as there are fewer ICU patients even when the scale of new outbreaks is as large or even larger than before."

Authorities warn the surge could worsen as travel will likely increase again during the upcoming holidays and the fall foliage season.