S. Korea Reports 513 New Virus Cases, 22 More Deaths

Reporter Rosyn Park ㅣ 2021-01-15 12:57

A health worker at a COVID-19 walk-through testing center in the southwestern city of Gwanju takes a break. (Photo: Yonhap News)

South Korea has reported 513 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours and 22 more deaths.

Friday's tally raised the overall caseload to 71,241, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The death toll reached 1,217

The KDCA said an average of 555 coronavirus patients were identified over the past week, with an average of 523 local infections, mostly from the greater Seoul area including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.

The figures highlight a significant slowdown from last month when daily new cases breached the 1,000-mark multiple times due to sporadic cluster infections and silent spread of the virus.

Authorities have said the third wave of the pandemic has passed its peak on the back of stricter antivirus curbs and testing, however, they remain cautious about easing restrictions over fear of another resurgence.

Level 2.5 social distancing measures in the capital region and Level 2 measures elsewhere are set to expire on Sunday.

Health authorities will decide Saturday whether to maintain the current curbs or lower them.

Restrictions are expected to be lifted for high-risk facilities such as gyms and cram schools, amid concerns over the impact on business, but a ban on gatherings of five or more people will likely stay in place.