South Korea's Centers for Decease Control and Prevention confirmed 87 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the national tally to 433
SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2020) South Korea's Centers for Decease Control and Prevention confirmed 87 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the national tally to 433.
The authorities said earlier in the day that the total number of infected people in the country had grown to 346.
The majority of new infections are linked to a sect called the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, with 55 new cases reported in the southeastern city of Daegu, where it has a branch.
More than 9,000 members of the sect were asked to self-quarantine after the branch was visited by a woman who later tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus.
The government has declared a public health emergency after the new epidemic hotbed was discovered. There has also been a rise in infections at a hospital in the nearby city of Cheongdo.
A total of 231 cases of COVID-19 disease in South Korea are now associated with the sect. Over 500 of its followers have shown symptoms of infection and are being tested.
South Korea has reported two deaths from the infection, with the number of fatalities exceeding 2,300 globally. The virus emerged in China in December and has spread to some 26 other countries, infecting almost 78,000.
