Via Yonhap: S. Korea's virus cases soar to 833, containment of more outbreaks in Daegu in focus. Excerpt and then a comment:
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported another record daily spike in the number of new coronavirus cases on Monday, and two more deaths from COVID-19, with most new cases centered in the southeastern city of Daegu, where health authorities are shifting the focus of the anti-virus fight to containing its spread.
The 231 additional cases of the new coronavirus brought the total number of infections in South Korea to 833.
The two latest victims of the potentially fatal illness are tied to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, near Daegu. Six out of the eight deaths here are linked to the hospital where over 110 people were confirmed to have been infected.
Daegu, where 2.5 million people have been asked to stay indoors, saw its confirmed cases jump by 196 to 483 on Monday, despite efforts to stem the spread of the virus, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.
Two clusters of infections -- at a branch of a religious sect in Daegu and the Cheongdo hospital -- have continued to expand sharply, taking up about three-quarters of the total cases in the country. About 60 percent of the total cases are linked to church services at the Daegu-based Shincheonji church and 15 percent to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo.
Although health authorities voiced hope that the virus can be contained, experts said the virus may have spread more widely nationwide as cases with no clear links to China or confirmed cases continued to be discovered in Seoul and other regions.
The rapid rise of virus cases bodes ill for the Korean economy. Earlier in the day, President Moon Jae-in called for officials to start reviewing whether an extra budget is needed to cushion the impact of the virus on Asia's fourth-largest economy.
"The government should make special prescriptions for extraordinary economic situations," Moon emphasized, urging the government to make decisions and take special measures in a swift and aggressive manner with "no restriction on policy-related imagination."
The economy is on the minds of the Chinese government as well. Caixin Global reports small businesses will get expanded loan and the cost of power is being cut by 5%.
