SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea has added more than 1,000 infections to its load of coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, amid growing fears that the virus will spread out of control in the area. capital.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Thursday that the number of deaths from COVID-19 was 634 after 22 patients died in the past 24 hours, the deadliest day since the pandemic. Among 12,209 active patients, 242 are in serious or critical condition.
About 800 of the 1,014 new cases were reported from the densely populated metropolitan area of Seoul, where health officials have raised alarm over a shortage of hospital capacity. Thursday marked the 40th consecutive day of three-digit daily jumps, bringing the number of national cases to 46,453.
The viral resurgence came after months of pandemic fatigue, complacency and government efforts to bring a slow economy to life.
Officials are now considering whether to increase the restriction of social distancing to maximum levels, which could include banning meetings of more than ten people, closing tens of thousands of businesses deemed non-essential, and demanding that companies have more workers from home. .
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region:
– The World Health Organization says the upcoming COVID-19 vaccines will not end the pandemic quickly and there is no guarantee that countries in the western Pacific region will have early access to the shots. The WHO Regional Director, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, says vaccines are not “a silver bullet that will end the pandemic in the near future.” He says: “The development of safe and effective vaccines is one thing. Producing them in adequate quantities and reaching everyone who needs them is another ”. While some countries with independent vaccine purchase agreements could start vaccination campaigns in the coming months, others could see vaccination begin in mid or late 2021, said Dr. Socorro Escalante, WHO coordinator of essential medicines and health technologies. “It is important to stress that most, if not all, countries in the Western Pacific region are part of the COVAX center,” Escalante said. COVAX was created by the WHO, the GAVI and CEPI vaccine alliance, a global coalition to fight epidemics, in an effort to ensure equitable access to vaccines worldwide. WHO representatives also urged prioritization of high-risk groups for vaccination, as vaccines will only be available in limited quantities.
– Tokyo reported 822 new cases of coronavirus, a new high for the Japanese capital. Infections have been steadily rising across the country for several weeks. Japan reported 2,988 new cases on Friday for a total of 187,103, including 2,739 deaths. Experts from the Tokyo task force raised the precautionary levels of medical systems to the maximum, suggesting that most Tokyo hospitals have little manpower or extra beds to continue regular treatment for other patients. “We need to stop a further acceleration of infections,” said Yuriko Koike, governor of Tokyo. “To prevent serious and deadly cases and prevent medical systems from falling, I call on everyone to cooperate.” Koike said Tokyo is extending a request for early closure of places to drink, which would end Thursday through mid-January. Norio Ohmagari, director of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said the number of daily cases could exceed 1,000 in a few weeks. About half of the cases can no longer be traced as infections are transmitted to homes, offices and schools, experts said. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, apparently reluctant to further damage companies already affected by the pandemic, has been slow to take action. After repeated calls from experts, Suga announced last Friday plans to suspend the government’s travel promotion campaign from Dec. 28 to Jan. 11 following media polls showing a sharp drop in ratings. of approval.
– Authorities are looking for the source of an emerging COVID-19 cluster off the north coast of Sydney. Australia’s largest city had spent 12 consecutive days without community transmission until Wednesday, when a driver carrying international aircrew with a van to Sydney airport tested positive for coronavirus. On Thursday, six people had been infected with the virus via community transmission in Sydney, as well as six returned travelers who had been infected abroad and tested positive while in hotel quarantine. New infections include a woman who works at the Pittwater Palms nursing home, which has since been closed to visitors. A drummer from a band he had played at several Sydney clubs in recent days has also been infected.
– The Australian Open men’s tennis tournament will start three weeks later than planned on February 8 due to the pandemic. The ATP said the men’s qualifying for the first Grand Slam tournament of the season will move to Doha, Qatar, from January 10-13. There will then be an approximate 2 and a half week period set aside for travel to Melbourne and a 14 day quarantine period for players and their coaches or other support staff. Other tournaments that will not take place next year include the New York Open and an event in Auckland, New Zealand. The ATP is looking for new dates for the Rio Open, which was due to start on February 17, but is now in conflict with the main two-week draw for the Australian Open. As with other sports, tennis was upset this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19, including several months without competition, the postponement of the start of the French Open from May to September and the cancellation. Wimbledon for the first time since World War II. .
– New Zealand’s economy has recovered near where it was before the coronavirus arrived after GDP rose a record 14% in the third quarter. The increase followed a record 11% drop in the second quarter and a small drop in the first quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand. Between the year and September, GDP fell by 2.2%. At the head of the rise in the third quarter, the goods-producing industries stood out, 26% more, and the services industries, 11% more. New Zealand has eliminated community spread of the virus, at least for now, and many aspects of life have returned to normal. The nation’s borders, however, remain closed.
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