South Korea on Friday reported 641 new cases of Covid-19, according to the Korea Disease Prevention and Control Agency. Of these cases, 596 were transmitted locally.
The country has been battling an outbreak at the Dongbu detention center in the capital, with at least 1,118 cases detected so far, according to the health ministry. The cluster was detected in mid-December and officials said the prison facilities had been overcrowded with 116.7% capacity.
Since then, hundreds of prisoners have been transferred to different facilities and the ministry has said it will test all prisoners at all 52 detention facilities in the country.
However, officials also said that the country’s social distancing measures were working and that it appears that the latest wave of infections has surpassed the maximum.
President Moon Jae-in also said the government will start vaccinations as early as next month, when it will “take a more aggressive response (to Covid-19) through vaccines and treatments.”