나흘만에 다시 500명 대로, 좀처럼 꺾이지 않는 확산세<br /><br />Here in South Korea, the daily virus tally climbed back up to more than 500 despite the more stringent social distancing measures in place in the greater Seoul area.<br />Infections continue to pop up in clusters and the capital Seoul may soon face a shortage in ICU beds.<br />Kim Yeon-seung reports.<br />South Korea on Wednesday reported a total of 511 new cases of COVID-19, the figure climbing back above 500 for the first time since last Saturday.<br />The greater Seoul area accounted for more than two thirds of the new cases.<br />A cluster at an English language academy in Seoul's Gangnam-gu district has grown to 18 cases, while cases in a call center, also in Gangnam, has risen to nine.<br />There were three more at a high school in Guro-gu district,... bringing the cluster there to 11 cases.<br />A cluster in the cities of Busan and Ulsan, linked to a music class, has grown to 158 cases... with ten more confirmed in Busan itself.<br />With cases rising, Seoul is facing a shortage of ICU beds.<br />There are only six beds left for COVID-19 patients needing urgent care, so the city government is asking for help from private hospitals.<br />The health authorities and medical experts warn that if the spread of the virus isn't controlled in the next few days, then there could be more than a thousand cases a day in the next week or so.<br />"We are keenly aware of the situation that we're in, so we are assessing whether we need to quickly raise social distancing measures."<br />Currently 70-thousand people are in self-quarantine, having come into contact with an infected person the highest number of people in self-quarantine since the start of the pandemic.<br />Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Wednesday morning... that this weekend will be critical in containing the latest surge.<br />Kim Yeon-seung, Arirang News.<br />
