S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases stay below 90,000, severe cases remain above 500 for 10th day

South Korea's new COVID-19 infections stayed below 90,000 for the second straight day, the government reported Friday. The number of critically ill patients, however, remained above 500 for a 10th straight day.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country reported 89,586 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, including 317 from overseas.

The daily tally was up from the previous day’s 81,573. But it was the lowest for a Thursday count in five weeks, dating to Aug. 4.

The number of severe cases too decreased to 508, from the previous day’s 555. But, the figure continued to remain above 500 for 10 straight days.

The country added 64 deaths from the virus. The death toll came to 26,940.

“The number of daily cases has entered a downward trend, but there is still a great concern as the number of critically ill patients continues to stay above 500,” said Kim Sung-ho, a senior Interior Ministry official during a COVID-19 response meeting on Friday.

Kim also warned that the daily caseload could rebound during the four-day Chuseok holiday, from Sept. 9-12.

"The overall antivirus system remains stable at the moment, but there is also a high possibility for further spread, driven by increased in-person contacts and travel volume during the Chuseok holiday,” Kim said.

Kim noted the government will operate a 24-hour monitoring system during the Chuseok holiday, while making sure the country’s medical system runs properly during the holiday so that COVID-19 patients and those with signs of infection will be guaranteed access to health and medical resources.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)