[Global Times Special Correspondent in South Korea Li Hao] South Korea’s Central Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters reported on the 24th that as of 0:00 that day, South Korea had 170,016 new confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia compared with the previous day, exceeding 170,000 for two consecutive days. According to data released by the global data website “Our World In Data” on the 24th, South Korea currently ranks second in the world in newly confirmed cases in a single day, second only to Germany (more than 220,000 cases). Based on the research results of several research institutions, the current outbreak of the epidemic in South Korea may “peak” between the 28th of this month and the 22nd of next month, and the highest number of confirmed diagnoses in a single day may be as high as 330,000. Yonhap News Agency reported on the 24th that due to the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, various tragic incidents of sudden deaths have occurred frequently.
“Infants, the disabled, the elderly, and vulnerable groups in South Korea are becoming victims of the new crown epidemic”, “Korean National News” reported on the 24th that with the new crown pneumonia epidemic, new confirmed patients were newly diagnosed in a single day. The number of deaths has repeatedly hit record highs, and the deaths of vulnerable groups such as infants, the disabled and the elderly have been reported one after another. On the 18th of this month, a 5-year-old girl in Yecheon City, North Gyeongsang Province was treated at home after being diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia. She complained of chest pain and was taken to the hospital, but died on the 22nd. The cause of death is said to be acute myocarditis caused by the new coronavirus.
On the morning of the 22nd, a visually impaired man in his 50s fell to his death on a street in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. Before his death, he was going to a location 2 kilometers away from home for nucleic acid testing. The man tested positive after his death, but the local health department had no idea he had Covid-19. On the 23rd, an elderly man in his 80s in Gangdong District, Seoul was found unconscious on the side of the road. He was pronounced dead shortly after being sent to the hospital. His test result for new coronary pneumonia was positive. South Korea’s fire department said that as the number of confirmed cases exploded, the workload of various rescue and emergency services was also soaring.
In addition, due to the rapid increase in confirmed cases of “household transmission”, the number of cases in children and adolescents in South Korea has reached 27% of the total number of confirmed cases. As the March school season is approaching, some parents are very worried about the double loop of “intra-school transmission” and “intra-family transmission” leading to a vicious circle.