South Korea records highest single-day critical COVID-19 cases

ANKARA (AA) - South Korea on Tuesday reported nearly 500 serious COVID-19 patients, a record-high since the pandemic outbreak in the country, local media said.

According to the Seuol-based Yonhap News Agency, the country recorded 2,125 new cases in the past 24 hours, including 495 patients who are hospitalized in serious condition.

South Korea had reported 485 serious patients on Saturday as the country battles the pandemic's fourth wave.

Since July 7, new infections have been rising in the country following the emergence of the Delta variant. On Sept. 25, the country reported 3,270 cases, the highest single-day case count since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year.

With 2,125 new infections, South Korea's total caseload rose to 399,591, while the death toll reached 3,137 with 22 more fatalities, according to the Health Ministry.

Cases spiked after the government eased COVID-19 restrictions across the country under the "living with COVID-19" scheme on Nov. 1 to return to normal life, according to the report.

Under the new scheme, the government allowed people to gather in groups of up to 10 in the capital Seoul and its surrounding areas, while the limit was raised to 12 in other parts of the country, regardless of vaccination.

Limits on working hours for businesses were also lifted, though people will continue to wear masks indoors.

Attending bars, nightclubs, and indoor gyms requires vaccination and visitors must show their vaccination certificates or negative COVID-19 test results when visiting high-risk facilities.

South Korea is planning to remove all restrictions by the end of February next year.

So far, 42.03 million people, or 81.8% of the country's 52 million population, have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while over 40 million, or 78.3% people, have been fully vaccinated, according to the agency.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid