S. Korea reports 93 new cases nationwide, new cluster in Daegu

Medical personnel at a hospital in Daegu. Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network

SEOUL — South Korea reported 93 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the nation’s total to 8,413, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three more people died of COVID-19, raising the death toll to 84, and 139 have been declared virus-free, putting the total number of recoveries at 1,540.

Daegu reported another cluster of infections at a nursing home, where 74 cases have been confirmed so far.

Korea has seen a slowdown in the spread of the new coronavirus here, with Wednesday marking the fourth straight day that the number of new cases was in the double digits rather than triple. But authorities remain vigilant about the possible emergence of new clusters as well as new cases from overseas.

Of the 93 new cases reported across the country on Wednesday, 46 were in Daegu, bringing the city’s total to 6,144. Neighboring North Gyeongsang Province reported nine new cases, bringing its total to 1,178. Together, the two regions make up 87 percent of the nationwide tally.

Most of the new cases in Daegu were at the Hansarang nursing home, raising concern about mass infections among seniors and people with preexisting illnesses, who are at greater risk of death or serious complications if they get the disease. The hospital was immediately placed under cohort isolation.

Seoul reported five additional cases and nearby Gyeonggi Province 15.

The fatality rate for COVID-19 stood at 1 percent, and 90 percent of the deaths here were among those aged 60 or older.

So far, the country has tested 295,647 people, with 270,888 testing negative, while 16,346 people are undergoing tests for COVID-19.