South Korea reports 193 new infections

SEOUL: South Korea reported 193 new virus cases linked to a Seoul nightclub cluster popular among gay patrons, Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said Wednesday.

The cluster, which was identified on May 9, is concentrated in the capital city’s entertainment district of Itaewon. The cases are believed to have begun after an infected 29-year-old went to several different clubs in the area, according to Seoul officials.

Authorities used credit card records, cell phone data and other methods to track down all the people who had visited Itaewon, and asked them all to be tested.

More than 65,000 people have been tested in relation to the cluster, said the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday.

The country reported 32 new cases on Tuesday, 24 of which were locally transmitted. There were no new deaths.

This brings the national total to 11,110 cases and 263 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Japan, meanwhile, recorded 31 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths on Tuesday, raising the national total to 16,925 infections and 784 deaths.

Tuesday was the 10th consecutive day that fewer than 30 new cases were recorded in the country. Daily new cases have been steadily declining over the past month; just weeks ago Japan was still reporting between 100 and 300 cases a day.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe first declared a state of emergency in several affected prefectures on April 7, before extending it to the entire country on April 16. The measure was lifted last week for most prefectures.

It remains in place in eight hard- hit prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka. Tomorrow, the government is expected to decide whether and when to lift the state of emergency in those places.