South Korea Reports 7th Covid-19 Death & 231 New Cases, Total Now 833 As Alert Level Is Highest

South Korea Reports 7th Covid-19 Death & 231 New Cases On 24 Feb

UPDATE (6:01 pm): As of 6:01 pm on 24 Feb (Tues), South Korea has reported 231 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 833 in the nation according to The Straits Times.

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Ever since the Covid-19 outbreak in South Korea, the number of cases has been increasing drastically accompanied by deaths reported daily.

Just today (24 Feb), South Korea reported their seventh Covid-19 related death as well as 161 new cases, according to The Straits Times (ST).

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This brings the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Korea to 763, a large spike from the already high 556 just yesterday (23 Feb).

115 cases linked to a church in Daegu

Out of the 161 new cases, 115 of them are reportedly linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu.

The outbreak began after “Patient 31” who attended services at the church tested positive for Covid-19.

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However, the true cause of the outbreak has yet to been found as the patient had not travelled out of the country at all recently, reports ST.

Since the outbreak, many churches in Daegu and Gwangju have suspended services and other religious gatherings to prevent further spread.

South Korea confirms 7th death from Covid-19

According to Korea’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the 7th victim of the Covid-19 virus is a 62-year-old who was admitted to a hospital in Cheongdo county.

Cheongdo county has also been experiencing a surge in the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases and contributes to almost half of the nation’s numbers.

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Authorities have also been thoroughly conducting contact tracing but are having difficulty locating and contacting some people.

Ghost town in a modern city

The sudden outbreak of new cases has prompted the President of South Korea to raise the nation’s disease alert to the highest level on Sunday (24 Feb).

To put that into more familiar context, it’s similar to a DORSCON Red.

This has caused many people, especially those in Daegu city and Cheongdo county to go into hiding, leaving the streets deserted like a ghost town.

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Photos of what the streets look like now bear an eerie resemblance to Wuhan shortly after the city went under lockdown.

Pray for South Korea

With the number of new confirmed cases increasing each day, the worst for South Korea is unlikely to be over anytime soon.

Let’s hope that South Korea can soon contain Covid-19 and that everyone can recover as soon as possible.

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Featured image adapted from ABS CBN News.