South Korea reports record daily Covid cases as delta variant surges

• South Korea reported a daily record of 1,784 coronavirus cases for Tuesday, breaking a mark set last week, as the country grapples with a surge in delta-driven outbreaks, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Wednesday.
• Genetic analysis of 2,381 infections last week found nearly 40% were the delta variant, KDCA data showed.

People wait in a queue at the temporary Covid-19 testing station at outside of Seoul City Hall square on July 16, 2021 in Seoul, South Korea.

Chris Jung | NurPhoto | Getty Images

South Korea reported a daily record of 1,784 coronavirus cases for Tuesday, breaking a mark
set last week, as the country grapples with a surge in delta-driven outbreaks, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Wednesday.

Genetic analysis of 2,381 infections last week found nearly 40% were the delta variant, KDCA data showed. More than half the total 1,741 delta variant cases since December were diagnosed last week.

Despite the record number of cases, South Korea has seen no significant increase in hospitalizations or deaths, with a mortality rate of 1.13% and the number of severe cases at 214 as of Tuesday.

Of the country's 52 million people 32% have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while the government aims to vaccinate 70% by September.

So far, South Korea has recorded 182,265 cases and 2,060 deaths.