Anchor: Amid the latest resurgence of COVID-19, with daily new cases surpassing 500, the South Korean government will consider possibly adjusting social distancing levels after monitoring the situation over the weekend.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: Health Ministry spokesperson Son Young-rae on Friday assessed that the risk of the current wave of the COVID-19 epidemic accelerating is on the rise, citing infection clusters involving family and private gatherings, as well as other daily interactions.

The spokesperson said authorities will monitor the latest trends over the weekend and possibly until early next week, as they have yet to determine whether the surge is temporary due to increased testing following last week's Lunar New Year holiday or a turnabout.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said as of 12:00 a.m. Friday, 561 additional people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the country's cumulative total to 86-thousand-128.

The daily increase, which dropped down to the lower 300s due to a decline in testing during last week's holiday, climbed back over 600 on Wednesday and Thursday, before slightly falling again.

The average daily number for the past week stood at 444-point-seven, which falls within the threshold for Level Two-point-Five social distancing. Level Two is currently in place for the Seoul metropolitan area, with Level One-point-Five in other regions.

Meanwhile, the government conducted training on Friday to prepare for the safe transportation of AstraZeneca vaccines to public health centers around the country, including to Jeju Island and other similar regions.

The vaccines, which are being manufactured by the country's SK Bioscience on a consignment contract with AstraZeneca, will begin distribution next Wednesday, before vaccinations start on Friday.

The first round of training was conducted earlier this month, which consisted of safely transporting vaccines to logistics centers and vaccination sites upon arrival from overseas.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.