SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported a new daily high for coronavirus cases, putting pressure on authorities to extend their toughest distancing rules.
The 1,784 cases confirmed in the previous 24-hour period is the biggest single-day jump since the pandemic began. The new cases brought the country’s total to 182,265 cases, with 2,060 deaths from COVID-19.
South Korea’s daily caseload has been above 1,000 for the past two weeks amid a slow vaccination program, lax public vigilance and the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the virus. A majority of new cases are in the densely populous Seoul metropolitan area, but officials have recently warned the virus is spreading beyond the capital region.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum calls the latest numbers “serious.”
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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:
— Dr. Fauci, Sen. Paul trade charges of lying about virus
— CDC: Delta variant accounts for 83% of U.S. cases
— Britain hits most daily virus deaths in 4 months
— Research: Millions may have died in India during pandemic
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Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
TOPEKA, Kan. — Families and advocates for the elderly in Kansas argue that with most nursing home residents vaccinated against the coronavirus, some facilities need to relax visiting rules.
A state official who investigates complaints against nursing homes as well as the elder-care focused Kansas Advocates for Better Care called on the state Tuesday to intervene when nursing homes aren’t open enough.
Some industry officials still see a need for caution because of the growing presence in Kansas of the faster-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus.
Operators feel they are still facing tough choices after nursing homes were COVID-19 hot spots earlier in the pandemic, but advocates for residents worry the delta variant could cause homes to lock down again.
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JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi state health officer is imploring people to get vaccinated as a highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus is spreading in the state, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S.
Dr. Thomas Dobbs said Tuesday: “Y’all, we’re going to have a rough few weeks.”
He says intensive care units are full in 13 Mississippi hospitals because of the recent increase in cases, and many other hospitals have under 10% of ICU beds available.
Dobbs says unvaccinated people should take “common sense steps” to reduce transmission, including having social activities outdoors rather than indoors. He adds that people can choose to wear masks to mitigate the spread of the virus, but he is not asking Gov. Tate Reeves to reinstate widespread mask mandates.
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With COVID-19 cases soaring nationwide, school districts across the U.S. are again confronting the realities of a polarized…