South Korea reports more recoveries than coronavirus cases for the first time


Hyonhee Shin, Reuters
Posted at Mar 13 2020 12:31 PM
Pedestrians wearing masks to prevent contracting the coronavirus walk on a zebra crossing in Seoul, South Korea, March 12, 2020. Kim Hong-Ji, Reuters
SEOUL - South Korea reported more recoveries from the coronavirus than new infections on Friday for the first time since its outbreak emerged in January, as a downward trend in daily cases raised hopes that Asia's biggest epidemic outside China may be slowing.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) recorded 110 new coronavirus cases on Friday compared with 114 a day earlier, taking the national tally to 7,979. In contrast, 177 patients were released from hospitals where they had been isolated for treatment.
This marks the first time that the daily number of recovered people exceeded that of new infections since South Korea's first patient was confirmed on Jan. 20.
The latest figures are in line with a downward trend in new cases, which has raised hopes that the outbreak may be easing in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
But officials urged vigilance after new clusters of infections emerged at a call center in a crowded part of capital Seoul, and a government agency in the administrative city of Sejong.
"We've managed to turn the corner, but there are concerns about overseas inflows, as well as possible infections at home around such facilities as call centers, computer cafes and karaoke rooms," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said at a meeting in Daegu.
Of the latest 110 cases, 61 were from the hard-hit southeastern city of Daegu where a fringe Christian church at the center of the epidemic is located, while 17 and 13 were in Sejong and Seoul, respectively.
At least 109 cases so far have been linked to the call center, operated by an insurance company whose 800-strong workforce is being tested or in quarantine for monitoring.
Seoul City plans to carry out extensive checks on some 10,500 computer cafes and karaoke bars as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in crowded workplaces, Mayor Park Won-soon told a briefing.
Global alarm over the coronavirus intensified, with governments from Europe to the United States unveiling new measures aimed at slowing the spread of a disease that has infected almost 135,000 people worldwide.
South Korea said it will subject visitors from France, Germany, Britain, Spain and the Netherlands to reinforced border checks starting Sunday, after imposing similar rules for China, Italy and Iran suffering a major outbreak.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more