Photo : YONHAP News
Health authorities say the recent COVID-19 resurgence has continued its downward trend for the third straight week.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said there were 549 inpatients with COVID-19 at 220 hospitals nationwide in the first week of September, down 34-point-four percent from a week earlier and down 37-point-eight percent since the first week of August, when the numbers peaked.
The KDCA used multiple methods to assess the severity of the outbreak, monitoring hospital patients and emergency room visitors and also analyzing sewage samples.
The agency also announced that winter season vaccinations will be offered free of charge from October 11 through April 30 for people in high-risk groups, such as adults aged 65 or older, advising them to get vaccinated for both COVID-19 and the influenza virus.
Amid concerns over a possible resurgence during the Chuseok holiday, KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee urged the public to take preventive measures, such as washing hands, wearing masks and ventilating indoor areas.