코로나19 어제 686명 신규확진…2월말 후 최다, 역대 2번째 규모<br /><br />South Korea saw its second highest ever number of new daily COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with close to 700 cases recorded in a single 24 hour period.<br />Fearing the worst is yet to come, health authorities are urging the public to cancel all year-end gatherings.<br />Han Seong-woo reports. <br />South Korea on Wednesday added 686 new COVID-19 cases, the second highest daily tally it has ever recorded.<br />The only time there were more infections in the country was back on February 29th when the mass outbreak in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province led to 909 cases in a single day.<br />662 of Wednesday's new cases were locally transmitted with over 500 of those coming from Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi-do Province...<br />It is the first time the capital region has seen more than 500 infections in one day.<br />These include extra cases stemming from cluster infections at card-playing pubs in Itaewon, a marketplace in Seoul's Jung-gu District, singing classes in Jongno-gu District and nursing homes across the region.<br />"We believe social distancing isn't showing its full effects due to widespread asymptomatic and latent infections."<br />Level two-point-five social distancing measures for the capital area and level 2 for other regions have been in place since Tuesday... but with numbers still increasing, the government could consider raising the measures to level 3.<br />Out of all the people being tested, the proportion of positive cases reported on Wednesday fell to two-point-one-five percent from close to five percent the day before.<br />The number of critically ill patients has increased by fifteen to 149 and there have been four more fatalities, bringing the death toll to 556.<br />Han Seong-woo, Arirang News.<br />
