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South Korea fears "second wave" of coronavirus as cases jump

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said the country should "brace for the pandemic's second wave," the BBC reports, as officials confirmed 34 new novel coronavirus cases on Sunday — the highest daily number in a month.

Why it matters: South Korea had the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases after China in early March. But diligent tracing, testing and strict lockdowns allowed the country to control the outbreak. The new cases could serve as a warning to nations grappling with how to reopen their own communities.

Driving the news: South Korea has begun relaxing social-distancing requirements. But a new cluster of coronavirus cases has emerged, stemming from a 29-year-old who visited three nightclubs in Seoul last Saturday before testing positive for the virus on Wednesday, Bloomberg notes.

  • The number of cases tied to the patient jumped to 40 as of Saturday afternoon, per Bloomberg. South Korean epidemiologists began tracing roughly 1,500 people believed to have been in those clubs around the same time, per the New York Times.
  • Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Saturday ordered all nightclubs, discos, hostess bars and other nightlife establishments to close as a result.

By the numbers: There are 10,844 confirmed coronavirus cases in South Korea, and 256 recorded deaths.

  • South Korea's Ministry of Health reports the number of cases increased from 10,793 on May 3 to 10,840 on May 9. For weeks, the country reported about 10 new infections per day, the Times notes.

Go deeper: World coronavirus updates

Editor's note: This article has been updated with Moon's comments and the latest case numbers.

Go deeper

Axios
Updated Oct 7, 2020 - Health

World coronavirus updates

Expand chart
Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

New Zealand now has active no coronavirus cases in the community after the final six people linked to the Auckland cluster recovered, the country's Health Ministry confirmed in an email Wednesday.

The big picture: The country's second outbreak won't officially be declared closed until there have been "no new cases for two incubation periods," the ministry said. Auckland will join the rest of NZ in enjoying no domestic restrictions from late Wednesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, declaring that NZ had "beat the virus again."

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Rebecca Falconer
Aug 18, 2020 - World

New Zealand PM: Trump "patently wrong" about NZ coronavirus cases

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a press conference at the parliament building the Beehive in the capital, Wellington on Monday. Photo: Guo Lei/Xinhua via Getty Images

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday rejected President Trump's comments on New Zealand's growing number of coronavirus cases since COVID-19 was detected in the community for the first time in 102 days last week.

Driving the news: Trump said Monday when New Zealand "beat" the virus, "it was like front page, they beat it because they wanted to show me something." "The problem is big surge in New Zealand. It's terrible. We don't want that." But Ardern said there's "no comparison between New Zealand’s current cluster and the tens of thousands of cases being seen in the United States."

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Marisa Fernandez
Aug 18, 2020 - Health

The U.S. didn't learn its lesson on nursing homes

Data: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Chart: Axios Visuals

Coronavirus cases in nursing homes surged in late July, according to new data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Why it matters: Despite all the rhetorical focus on better protecting vulnerable seniors, long-term care facilities continue to be a major source of community spread in the U.S.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow