South Korea’s daily virus jump exceeds 7,000 for 1st time 

Seoul: New COVID infections in South Korea exceeded 7,000 on Wednesday for the first time since the start of the pandemic as hours-long lines snaked around testing stations in the capital city amid worsening virus crisis. 

As per details, more than 5,600 of the new 7,175 cases were reported in Seoul and the nearby metropolitan region, where a delta-driven surge has led to a shortage of hospital beds and strained an already depleted health care workforce.  

Country’s death toll exceeded 4,000 after 63 virus patients died in the past 24 hours. 

As per Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 840 patients in critical conditions were an all-time high.

Meanwhile, officials have been scrambling to administer booster shots and they are monitoring a larger number of mild cases at home to preserve hospital beds for patients who are sicker. 

Wednesday’s daily infection tally was 1,800 more than the previous one-day record of 5,352 set on Saturday, illustrating how the delta variant has ripped through the country after it loosened social distancing rules in November to address economic concerns. 

Authorities enforced tighter virus restrictions, starting Monday, banning private social gatherings of seven or more people in the greater Seoul area and requiring adults to verify their vaccination status at restaurants, movie theaters, museums and other indoor venues. 

The country has also tightened its borders to fend off the new omicron coronavirus variant since identifying its first cases last week that were linked to arrivals from Nigeria. 

While the emergence of omicron has triggered global alarm and pushed governments around the world to tighten their borders, scientists say it remains unclear whether the new variant is more contagious.

Moreover, South Korea has also banned short-term foreign travelers arriving from nine African nations, including South Africa and Nigeria. 

South Korea is currently requiring all passengers arriving from abroad to quarantine for at least 10 days, regardless of their nationality or vaccination status.