S. Korea to decide level of virus curbs this week amid no letup in virus resurgence

South Korea said Thursday it will decide this week whether to raise the social distancing scheme to the highest level or maintain the current second-highest measures amid no signs of a letup in the coronavirus resurgence.

The country's new virus infections fell below 1,000 Thursday for the first time in three days but the level of new cases remains still high due mainly to cluster infections from churches, private gatherings and other facilities.

The country added 967 more COVID-19 cases, including 940 locally transmitted infections, bringing the total caseload to 60,740, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The government will hold a meeting on Saturday to adjust the level of virus curbs, according to health authorities.

Thursday's daily caseload is slightly down from 1,050 cases Wednesday and 1,045 Tuesday amid the stricter Level 2.5 virus curbs, the second-highest in the five-tier restrictions, in the greater Seoul area.

Daily cases have hovered around 1,000 for the past week due mainly to mass cluster infections from churches, private gatherings and a correctional facility.

In its latest efforts to curb the pandemic, the government on Thursday imposed the toughest virus restrictions at prison facilities nationwide, banning visits and canceling all work and classes to break the trend of mass coronavirus infections among inmates.

The Level 3 restrictions, the highest, will be in force for two weeks until Jan. 13 and aim to minimize contact between and among inmates, outside visitors and the prison staff. Meetings with lawyers will be restricted and all staff will work on a reduced schedule.

KDCA chief Jeong Eun-kyeong said the country is not considering purchasing additional COVID-19 vaccines for now, as it has secured enough doses for coverage of 56 million people, which exceeds the country's population of 52 million residents.

Twenty-one people have died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 900, with the fatality rate at 1.48 percent.

Adding woes to the country's battle against the pandemic, the country has reported five cases of a new coronavirus variant reported first in Britain.

Seoul said earlier it would suspend all flights from London until Jan. 7 to prevent the virus variant from spreading here, while making all incoming passengers from Britain and South Africa submit documents that prove they tested negative for COVID-19.

With no signs of virus infections slowing down, health authorities have vowed to accelerate the launch of the vaccination program after detecting the virus variant from Britain.

The KDCA plans to start vaccinations in February, with health workers and vulnerable people first in line.

US biotech firm Moderna has agreed to supply COVID-19 vaccine doses for 20 million people to South Korea during a phone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and Moderna Chief Executive Stephane Bancel, the presidential office said Tuesday.

With the deal, South Korea expects to be able to secure enough doses for its 52 million people by the end of next year.

On Sunday, the KDCA extended the current Level 2.5 distancing measures in the greater Seoul area and the Level 2 restrictions in the rest of the country until Jan. 3 on concerns over the impact on the economy.

Health authorities will decide whether to raise the social distancing measures to Level 3, or maintain the current anti-virus curbs, before the extended deadline.

Instead of applying measures that would deal a heavy blow to millions of small merchants, health authorities have deployed "targeted" virus curbs.

Gatherings of more than five people have been banned in the greater Seoul area since Dec. 23. Restaurants face a fine if they allow gatherings of more than four people. The strongest-ever measures have been applied nationwide since Dec. 24 as well.

Ski resorts and other tourist spots were shut down to slow the spread of the virus during the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

The third wave of the pandemic is raging across the nation. Of the newly identified local infections, 365 cases were reported in Seoul and 219 cases in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. Incheon, west of Seoul, reported 59 more cases.

Other municipalities reported new infections, with the country's major port city of Ulsan adding 35 cases. Gangwon Province and Daegu reported 36 and 32 new cases, respectively.

The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients reached 344, up from 332 a day earlier.

The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries stood at 42,271, up 836 from the previous day.

The country, meanwhile, added 27 imported cases, increasing the total to 5,385. Thirteen cases came from Asian countries except for China, followed by seven from the United States and seven from Europe.

The country has carried out 4,213,880 coronavirus tests since Jan. 3, including 54,358 tests in the past 24 hours.

The pandemic, which started in China late last year, has killed more than 1.8 million people worldwide and infected more than 82 million as of Thursday, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. (Yonhap)