S. Korea’s virus tally tops 10,000, 74 days after first case reported

S. Korea’s coronavirus tally surpassed 10,000 on Friday, 74 days after the first case was reported.

The country counted 86 new infections in the 24 hours to midnight Thursday, bringing the total accumulated cases of confirmed COVID-19 infections to 10,062, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Five more virus patients died. The death toll from the disease now stands at 174.

Of the total 10,062, 6,021 are fully recovered.

Of the 86 new infections, 42 were reported in Seoul and the surrounding region.

Twenty-two were detected at quarantine checkpoints. The country's total number of imported cases rose to 647, the KCDC said.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday he expected that the inflow of virus cases from abroad will come under control soon.

“For the time being, the number of cases will increase in accordance with the people coming from overseas. But infection won’t spread if blocking them from contacting with communities is well managed,” he said.

A total of 5,626 people entered South Korea on Thursday, with more than 70 percent of them South Korean nationals.

A 14-day quarantine is required for all international arrivals here, a measure that went into effect Wednesday.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)