Virus cases stay below 100 for 4th day amid concern over back-to-back holidays

SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose by double digits for the fourth straight day Sunday, yet health authorities are still on alert over a possible spike in infections amid back-to-back holidays.

The country added 58 more COVID-19 cases, including 46 local infections, raising the total caseload to 24,606, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Daily infections bounced back to 114 on Wednesday after rising by double digits the previous six days. But the number has been below 100 since Thursday.

Health authorities have warned that the country could see an uptick in COVID-19 cases after the five-day Chuseok holiday that ran through last Sunday and another three-day break from Friday to Sunday when Hangeul Day, which celebrates the Korean alphabet, is combined with the weekend.

The authorities plan to announce a decision later in the day on whether to adjust their social distancing guidelines, currently at the second-highest level of a three-tier system.

Of the newly identified local infections, 19 cases were reported in Seoul and 18 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. Incheon, west of Seoul, reported one additional case.

The number of newly identified imported cases came to 12, bringing the country's total to 3,373.

There were two additional deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 432. The fatality rate was 1.76 percent.

The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries stood at 22,693, up 69 from the previous day.

The country has carried out 2,410,483 coronavirus tests since Jan. 3.

Daily infections peaked at 441 on Aug. 27, days after cluster infections were found to be linked to a Seoul church and an anti-government rally in the capital on Liberation Day on Aug. 15.

With tightened social distancing imposed on the greater Seoul area for weeks, the daily number of new COVID-19 cases has been hovering around 100 since early September.

khj@yna.co.kr
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