This has raised concerns about the risk of the country's fourth wave of the disease, as the surge of new cases has been due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant, especially in densely populated Seoul.
The South Korean government will extend the application of current social distancing regulations for another week, and will consider imposing the highest levels of the measure if the situation gets out of control in 2-3 days. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum emphasised that South Korea is currently in a state of emergency that requires all resources to be focused on fighting COVID-19.
US President calls on people to get vaccinated against COVID-19
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Americans who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 to urgently get a jab, and called this an act of patriotism.
This call comes in the context that the number of cases with the Delta variant is rapidly increasing in the country, especially among young people, as this is the group that has not been vaccinated. President Biden said his administration had fallen short of its goal of 70% of adults getting at least one shot by 4 July, yet emphasised that 160 million Americans will be fully immunised by the end of this week. To further accelerate the vaccination campaign, President Biden affirmed to provide vaccines to more levels of health facilities, moving from mass vaccination sites to a community approach.
