Coronavirus latest: South Korea’s outbreak eases but kimchi factory identified as new cluster
- Authorities have recalled and will dispose of 50 tonnes of kimchi produced at Cheongyang factory
- The number of seriously ill patients has reached a new high but South Korean authorities hope restrictions will reduce daily increases to fewer than 100
“The virus is spreading across the country, with sporadic clusters occurring at religious facilities, gyms, hospitals and schools,” said Yoon Tae-ho, a senior Health Ministry official.
Among those new clusters, a kimchi factory in the southwestern county of Cheongyang has emerged as a new hotbed, with 18 people there testing positive. Authorities have recalled and will dispose of 50 tonnes of kimchi produced between August 28 and September 2.
The greater Seoul region has been subject to the country’s tightest restrictions, including reduced operating hours for restaurants and the closure of sites deemed “high-risk”, such as karaoke rooms, clubs, internet cafes and buffet eateries. Authorities will decide this weekend whether to extend those restrictions into next week.
The measures were imposed to curb the latest outbreak of coronavirus and reduce daily increases to fewer than 100, which health authorities consider manageable without the country’s health care system being overwhelmed. Fewer than 10 intensive-care beds were available in the greater Seoul area, a metropolis of 26 million people, as of Tuesday, health authorities said.
The Health Ministry said on Thursday it will spend 100 billion won (US$84 million) to acquire 500 beds for severely ill patients nationwide by the middle of next year, aiming to secure at least 110 by the end of the month. South Korea has 511 critical-care beds, mostly at public hospitals in Seoul and surrounding regions.