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South Korea sees record infections as prison reports outbreak

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SEOUL: South Korea reported a record 1,097 coronavirus cases yesterday, including an outbreak in a Seoul prison.

With daily infections over 1,000 for a fifth consecutive day, some medical experts and politicians criticised the government for being too loose with social distancing rules.

The recent surge - stemming from widespread clusters rather than the large, isolated outbreaks of the previous waves - has confounded efforts to contain it and the country is now running short of hospital beds.

Yesterday's total exceeded Wednesday's record 1,076. The new cases brought the total to 49,665, with 674 deaths as of Saturday midnight.

The prison in south-eastern Seoul with 188 infected inmates and staff brings thetotal there to 215. - REUTERS

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