Coronavirus: South Korea warns of possible fourth wave; Thailand reports record 1,335 new cases
- South Korea on Wednesday recorded 731 new cases – the most in more than three months, prompting health minister to declare ‘we are standing at a crossroads’
- Meanwhile Thailand saw its biggest daily rise, Mumbai faces virus restrictions and Australia’s trade chief is heading to Europe to discuss vaccine supplies
New cases have centred on the greater Seoul area and have spread to over a dozen cities and provinces despite rigid social distancing rules. According to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), South Korea has recorded 111,419 infections and 1,782 deaths.
“Cluster infections have been spreading from nightspots, churches and cram schools to ordinary households, workplaces and schools as cases with light or little symptoms have been piling up,” Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said. “We are standing at a crossroads – flattening the curve or letting in a fourth wave of infections.”
Health authorities on Tuesday said they would consider the use of Covid-19 self-test kits despite their relatively low accuracy.
Additional 250,000 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived on Wednesday, adding to the million doses shipped earlier in March, for people aged 75 and older and high-risk groups in nursing homes.