South Korea reports highest ever daily rise in Covid-19 cases

[SEOUL] South Korea on Thursday reported its highest ever one-day number of new Covid-19 infections, as officials consider tightening social distancing restrictions.

The 1,275 cases in the 24 hours to midnight on Wednesday, reported by the the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), exceeds the number of daily cases reported at the peak of the country's third wave in December.

The government warned on Wednesday it was considering raising movement restrictions to the highest level as the fourth wave was spreading rapidly, especially among unvaccinated people in their 20s and 30s. The rise of the Delta variant has also worried health officials.

Authorities said on Wednesday the virus was spreading rapidly, while a growing number of highly contagious Delta variant cases raised new worries.

Just 10 per cent of the country's population of 52 million people have been fully vaccinated, while 30 per cent have received at least one shot, the majority of them aged over 60.

South Korea's total Covid-19 infections stand at 164,028, with 2,034 deaths.

REUTERS