The number of people infected with the new coronavirus has jumped to 1,146 in South Korea, after the announcement Wednesday of 169 new infections and an 11th death by the health authorities of this East Asian country. It is the highest level of contamination in the world outside of mainland China, where the Covid-19 epidemic started in December.
The 11th person to succumb to the virus is a man in his thirties from Mongolia, who became the first foreigner to die in South Korea, according to a press release from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). He was hospitalized pending a liver transplant, according to the Yonhap news agency.
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The vast majority of new infections (90%) have been detected in Daegu (South), the country's fourth city and epicenter of the epidemic in South Korea, and in the neighboring province of North Gyeongsang.
The streets of Daegu - which has some 2.5 million inhabitants - have been largely deserted for days, with the exception of long queues in the few stores that sell protective masks.
Authorities have called on residents to be very careful, advising residents to stay at home in case of fever or respiratory symptoms. "The government will mobilize all resources and means" to try to control the epidemic, said Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at a meeting in Daegu, Yonhap news agency reported.