New infections drop, but Seoul on alert for new clusters

South Korea reported 367 new cases of coronavirus infections Sunday, the lowest daily increase in over 10 days, but officials were cautious about a slowing trend, saying the numbers could shoot up anytime soon.

The total reported cases here stood at 7,134, with 50 deaths on Sunday morning, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.

Nearly 80 percent of local coronavirus cases are classified as cluster infection cases, while 20.6 percent are sporadic with their exact infection routes being scrutinized, health authorities said Sunday.

It was belatedly made public on Saturday by the Daegu Metropolitan Government that 46 cases had been confirmed at an apartment block in the city. As of Sunday afternoon, out of 140 residents, 46 people tested positive, all of whom are followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Eighty people tested negative and 14 were awaiting their rest results.

Another cluster of infections was reported Friday, with a total of 13 people confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. An epidemiological study to identify an infection route is underway.

The majority of the new cases on Sunday were confirmed from the southeastern city of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

Some 297 cases were confirmed in Daegu and 32 in North Gyeongsang Province -- accounting for 90 percent of the new cases, according to data tallied at Saturday midnight by the KCDCP.

Twelve new cases were reported in Seoul, 11 in Gyeonggi Province, six in South Chungcheong Province and 4 in North Chungcheong Province, according to the data.

So far, 50 people, mostly those who are in their 50s or older with underlying illnesses, have died from COVID-19, with the overall fatality rate at 0.7 percent. The death rate stands at 4.4 percent for those in their 70s and 6.6 percent for those in their 80s.

A total of 7,134 people were in quarantine, while 130 people were released from quarantine after making full recoveries on Sunday.

The number of people being tested for the virus stood at 19,376. The country has so far tested a total of 181,384 people, with 162,008 testing negative as of Saturday midnight.

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin said at a briefing Sunday that he will file complaints against members of the Shincheonji church’s Daegu branch who fail to get tested by Monday.

Some 64 percent of the confirmed cases in Korea are linked to a branch of the Shincheonji church in Daegu - the largest cluster of infections in Korea.

Among 8,269 Shincheonji members secured by the municipality, 91 people have refused to take the virus test and 23 of them remain out of reach, Kwon said.

In the wake of a shortage of masks, the government’s measures to stabilize the supply of masks come into force starting Monday.

Under the new numbered system, Koreans can buy two state-supplied masks per week from pharmacies based on the year of birth with valid identification cards. Those born in years ending one and six are able to buy masks on Monday, for example. Those who do not make purchases on a weekday will be allowed to buy masks on the weekend.

Foreigners can buy masks too with their foreigner registration card and health insurance certificate.

Amid coronavirus fears, some 103 countries and regions are imposing travel warnings on Korea, entry bans or toughened quarantine procedures on visitors from here.