Covid 19 coronavirus: South Korea marks deadliest day, as NZ's virus fight still praised

A man wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus in Seoul, South Korea. Photo / AP

South Korea has added more than 1,000 infections to its coronavirus caseload for the second straight day amid growing fears that the virus is spreading out of control in the greater capital area.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said today the Covid-19 death toll was now at 634 after 22 patients died in the past 24 hours, the deadliest day since the emergence of the pandemic. Among 12,209 active patients, 242 are in serious or critical condition.

Nearly 800 of the 1,014 new cases were reported from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where health officials have raised alarm about a looming shortage in hospital capacities. Today marked the 40th consecutive day of triple-digit daily jumps, which brought the national caseload to 46,453.

The viral resurgence came after months of pandemic fatigue, complacency and government efforts to breathe life into a sluggish economy.

A park is taped off for the social distancing measures and a precaution against the coronavirus in Seoul. Photo / AP

Officials are now mulling whether to raise social distancing restriction to maximum levels, which could possibly include bans on gatherings of more than 10 people, shutting tens of thousands of businesses deemed non-essential and requiring companies to have more employees work from home.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region:

• The World Health Organisation says the coming Covid-19 vaccines will not end the pandemic quickly and countries of the Western Pacific region are not guaranteed to have early access to the shots. WHO Regional Director Dr Takeshi Kasai says the vaccines are not "a silver bullet that will end the pandemic in the near future." He says, "the development of safe and effective vaccines is one thing. Producing them in adequate quantities and reaching everyone who needs them is another." While some countries that have independent vaccine purchase agreements might start vaccination campaigns in the coming months, others could see vaccination begin in the middle or late 2021, said Dr Socorro Escalante, WHO's co-ordinator for essential medicines and health technologies. "It's important to emphasise that most, if not all, the countries in the Western Pacific region are a part of the Covax Facility," said Escalante. Covax was set up by WHO, vaccines alliance Gavi and Cepi, a global coalition to fight epidemics, in an effort to ensure equitable access to vaccines across the world. WHO representatives also urged that high-risk groups should be prioritised for vaccination as vaccines will only be available in limited quantities.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is interviewed in her office Parliament in Wellington. Photo / AP

• Authorities are searching for the source of an emerging Covid-19 cluster in Sydney's northern coastal suburbs. Australia's largest city had gone 12 consecutive days without community transmission until Wednesday, when a driver who transported international air crews in a van to and from Sydney Airport tested positive for the coronavirus. By today, six people had been infected with the virus though community transmission in Sydney, as well as six returned travelers who had been infected overseas and tested positive while in hotel quarantine. The new infections include a woman who works at the Pittwater Palms aged-care home, which has since been closed to visitors. A drummer in a band that had played in several clubs around Sydney in recent days has also been infected.

• The Australian Open men's tennis tournament will begin three weeks later than planned on February 8 because of the pandemic. The ATP said that men's qualifying for the season's first Grand Slam tournament is being moved to Doha, Qatar, from January 10-13. That will be followed by a period of about 2 1/2 weeks set aside for travel to Melbourne and a 14-day quarantine period for players and their coaches or other support staff. Other tournaments that will not take place next year include the New York Open and an event in Auckland, New Zealand. The ATP is looking for new dates for the Rio Open, which was supposed to begin Feb. 17 but now conflicts with the two-week Australian Open main draw. As with other sports, tennis was disrupted this year because of the Covid-19 outbreak, including several months with no competition, the postponement of the French Open's start from May to September, and the cancellation of Wimbledon for the first time since World War II.

Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand's response to the virus was driven by both ambition and fear. Photo / AP

• Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told The Associated Press that New Zealand's successful drive to eliminate the coronavirus was driven as much by fear as it was ambition. She said the target grew from an early realisation the nation's health system simply couldn't cope with a big outbreak. She also criticised US President Donald Trump for misrepresenting the situation in New Zealand in August when a handful of unexplained cases began cropping up, saying "It's over for New Zealand. Everything's gone." New Zealand's response to the virus has been among the most successful. The country of five million has counted just 25 deaths and managed to stamp out the spread of Covid-19, allowing people to return to workplaces, schools and packed sports stadiums without restrictions. For the world to begin to return to normal, Ardern said there needs to be comprehensive work around ensuring that everybody can get vaccinated against Covid-19 and putting in place a vaccine certification process that would allow people to travel.