South Korea's health officials reported on Wednesday afternoon the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases had reached 1,261, a 41 percent increase compared to the previous day, along with 12 fatalities
MOSCOW/GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th February, 2020) South Korea's health officials reported on Wednesday afternoon the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases had reached 1,261, a 41 percent increase compared to the previous day, along with 12 fatalities.
The United States Forces Korea (USFK) said earlier in the day that the first case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among its troops has been detected.
According to a report from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 710 of the confirmed cases, have been registered in Daegu, and another 317 cases are in the neighboring North Gyeongsang province. The rest have been detected in various regions, including 49 cases in the country's capital, Seoul.
The news came as South Korea's health authorities started testing over 200,000 followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus' branch in the city of Daegu, which has been identified as a hotbed for COVID-19 in the country, according to the Yonhap news agency. The worshipers have previously been told to self-isolate.
Moreover, the South Korean Catholic Church has made a decision to suspend all its public masses amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to Yonhap. The diocese in Daegu suspended masses one week ago and the rest of dioceses across the country followed suit, the news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki told Sputnik that no extra measures would be placed on pilgrims visiting the West Bank during Easter in April despite recent reports that South Korean pilgrims who visited the area tested positive for the virus upon returning to their homeland. The minister added that Palestinian authorities were working on their own arrangements and procedures to counter the spread of the disease.
The foreign minister also said that no coronavirus cases were detected in Palestine after Korean pilgrims left.
As of Wednesday, the disease outbreak has infected 81,000 people worldwide, roughly 800 more than a day ago, with the death toll now over 2,700. Within the last day, however, over 2,000 patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the recovery total to just over 30,200.
