South Korea reported 641 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Of these cases, 596 were transmitted locally.
According to the Ministry of Health, the country has had an outbreak in the main center’s Dongbu detention center, with so far at least 1118 cases. The group was tracked down in mid-December and according to officials, prison facilities were overcrowded with 116.7% capacity.
Since then, hundreds of prisoners have been transferred to various facilities, and the ministry has stated that it will test every prisoner in all 52 detention facilities in the country.
However, officials also said the country’s social distance measures are working, and the latest spate of infections seems to have surpassed the peak.
President Moon Jae-in also said that the government would start vaccinations as early as next month, when it “will take a more aggressive response (towards Covid-19) with the help of vaccines and treatments.” ‘