New virus cases above 100 for 2nd day, cluster infections biggest hurdle in virus fight

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus infections rose by triple digits for a second consecutive day Thursday, as sporadic infections continued in the greater Seoul area.

The country added 125 more COVID-19 cases, including 108 local infections, raising the total caseload to 27,050, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The number of domestically transmitted people rose to the highest level since Oct. 23, when 138 new cases were reported.

The latest surge came mostly from senior nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities, but sporadic community infections have also taken place at small gatherings of families and friends.

The number of newly infected has hovered around 100 in the past two weeks, with many of them from the Seoul metropolitan area.

Health authorities are still on guard against potential cases tied to Halloween parties over the weekend, as young people gathered at clubs and bars in Seoul amid eased social distancing measures.

Of the new local infections, 46 cases were reported in Seoul, 23 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital and three in Incheon, west of Seoul.

The number of patients in the capital city could go up after a reporter covering late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's funeral in Samsung Medical Center in Seoul was diagnosed with the virus.

The health authority estimated over 1,000 people, including politicians, senior government officials, business leaders and journalists, visited the hospital on Oct. 26, urging them to receive virus tests.

Other municipalities reported new infections, with South Chungcheong Province adding 23 more cases.

The country added 17 imported cases, with nine from Asia, except China, and five from Europe.

The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients came to 51, slightly down from 53 Wednesday.

South Korea reported one additional death, raising the total to 475.

The number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries stood at 24,735, up 24,616 from the previous day.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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