South Korea faces ‘biggest ever’ wave
As other countries prepare to roll out vaccinations, South Korea is grappling with its biggest wave of coronavirus infections yet.
South Korea’s daily number of new cases was once as low as two per day. That number soared to​ 682 on Thursday, with health officials warning it could reach record highs in coming days. On Wednesday​, 686 new cases were reported, the highest daily count since Feb. 29.
And vaccines are not coming until March — which is when the first batch from companies like AstraZeneca and Pfizer is set to arrive. The country says it has secured enough to inoculate roughly 86 percent of the population. “We must exert all we can, considering this is our last hurdle” before vaccines and treatments, President Moon Jae-in said.
Context: South Korea has been hit by four waves of infections since January. But the latest is by far the ​hardest to control, health officials said. Previous waves were traceable, but the current one spread through small clusters in nursing homes, bars, factories and other places. A disease control official called it “our biggest ever coronavirus crisis” because it was “steady and nationwide.”
The New York Times
Me: Got to wonder what is happening in North Korea too?