South Korea Reports Record Coronavirus Deaths As Lockdown Fears Cause Panic Buying; Tokyo On Highest Alert As Daily Cases Surge To Record High

South Korea

South Korea reported a record number of coronavirus deaths today (Dec 17) as the country’s largest wave of infections since the start of the pandemic strained hospital system and sparked panic buying in anticipation of a harsh new lockdown.

The country added another 22 lives as of midnight on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 634, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported. Among 12,209 active patients, 242 are in serious or critical condition.

Close to 800 of the 1,014 new cases were reported from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of the country’s 52m people live. Health officials have raised alarm about a shortage in hospital capacities. Thursday marked the 40th consecutive day of triple digit daily jumps, which brought the national caseload to 46,453.

The country's officials are now considering whether to raise social distancing restriction to maximum levels, which could possibly include bans on gatherings of more than 10 people, shutting tens of thousands of businesses deemed non-essential and requiring companies to have more employees work from home.

Many Seoul residents have started stocking up on food and other essential supplies in anticipation the city will be locked down for the first time to halt the spread of the disease.

Japan

The figure surpasses the previous record of 678 new infections reported on Wednesday.

The number of COVID-19 patients in serious condition in Tokyo stands at 66 -- three fewer than on Wednesday.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has also raised its healthcare alert to the highest level for the first time as coronavirus infections continue to spread.

Tokyo's advisory panel of infectious disease and public health experts said at a meeting on Thursday (Nov 17) that the healthcare system is on the verge of a crisis.

The South China Morning Post quoted a health official as saying that it was difficult to balance the care of Covid-19 patients with regular ones as hospital beds filled up, assigning a “red” alert for medical preparedness for the first time.

On Wedney, Japan reported over 3,000 --- making it the second worst day on record.

More than 188,000 people have now tested positive in Japan.