South Korea reported 1,600 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a slight drop from the record number the previous day, as it battles to contain an outbreak on board a military anti-piracy vessel operating overseas, Trend reports citing Reuters.
The country tightened social distancing rules across most of the country on Wednesday, when it reported a record number of 1,615 infections, to tackle its worst-ever outbreak of coronavirus. read more
Outbreaks had previously been largely centred in the capital Seoul and neighbouring areas, but cases have spread to non-metropolitan areas, adding to worries about the highly contagious Delta variant and a slowing vaccine rollout.
There has yet to be a significant increase in hospitalisations or deaths, with a mortality rate of 1.18% and the number of severe cases at 167 as of Wednesday, far below levels seen during the previous peak in late December.