South Korea's 事例／患者s jump to 1,200 まっただ中に slow ワクチン接種

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea on Wednesday 報告（する）／憶測d 1,212 new 事例／患者s, a 法外な rise in coronavirus 感染s unseen since the winter 突発／発生 as it slips into another 殺到する while most of its people are still unvaccinated.

Health 専門家s say the 政府 sent the wrong message by 押し進めるing for a premature 緩和 of social distancing.

Packed restaurants, 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業s and 蓄える／店s and 抱擁する beer-drinking （人が）群がるs at parks と一緒に ソウル´s Han River in 最近の weeks have illustrated how the country has let its guard 負かす／撃墜する にもかかわらず a slow ワクチン rollout.

総理大臣 Kim Boo-kyum said 公式の／役人s will consider tougher distancing 支配するs if 伝達／伝染s continue to grow over the next two or three days. 大統領 Moon Jae-in in a separate 会合 教えるd 公式の／役人s to 速く （軍隊を）展開する，配備する police officers, 軍隊／機動隊s and civil servants to help with 接触する tracing.

"This is an 緊急 状況／情勢 where we need to 投資する all our abilities to 答える／応じる to COVID-19," Kim said, while pleading for public vigilance.

The 政府 had planned to raise the cap on 私的な 集会s from four to six people, 延長する indoor dining at restaurants by two hours until midnight and 許す vaccinated people to go without masks starting this month. But 公式の／役人s in ソウル and nearby areas held off the new 支配するs as 感染s rose.

More than 1,000 of the new 事例／患者s （機の）カム from the greater 資本／首都 area, home to half of the country´s 51 million people, 含むing a 記録，記録的な／記録する 577 in ソウル. 感染s were also 報告（する）／憶測d in other major cities and 地域s, 燃料ing 関心s the ウイルス could spread その上の during the summer holidays.

While 感染s の中で people in their 60s and older have slowed に引き続いて ワクチン接種s, 伝達／伝染s are 加速するing across other age groups, 含むing those in their 20s and 30s who are more likely to go out socializing, said 物陰／風下 Ki-Il, 副 大臣 of health care 政策 at South Korea´s Health 省.

"The number of ウイルス 患者s is 増加するing very 急速な／放蕩な in 主要都市の areas where there is a high 集中 of 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業s and other entertainment 発生地s young people often go to," he said.

物陰／風下 also 表明するd 関心 over the spread of the more contagious delta variant of t he ウイルス. He advised 実験（する）s for young adults who recently visited ソウル´s major entertainment 地区s, 含むing Gangnam and Hongdae, 関わりなく whether they are 展示（する）ing symptoms. He 勧めるd companies to have more 従業員s work from home.

The 政府 計画（する）s to 追加する at least 25 more 実験（する）ing 駅／配置するs in ソウル and 強化する the 施行 of 制限s at restaurants and other 商売／仕事s, which from Thursday will 直面する 10-day 終結s if they fail to 器具／実施する distancing and other 対策.

When asked whether the 政府 より悪くするd the 突発／発生 by signaling an 緩和 of social distancing 支配するs, Son Young-rae, another Health 省 公式の／役人, said it's hard to ignore the pandemic 疲労，（軍の）雑役 and the struggles of small 商売／仕事s and the self-雇うd who rely on a 乱打するd service 部門 economy.

"We need to keep trying to find a balance between anti-ウイルス 対策 and 成果／努力s to 回復する normalcy as the COVID-19 危機 長引かせるs," Son said. "We have 持続するd that people should remain vigilant throughout this 過程 ... but considering the 現在の 殺到する in 感染s, there´s 悔いる that we should have communicated that message more 効果的に."

The country´s caseload is now at 162,753, after 追加するing around 5,800 事例／患者s this month alone. The death （死傷者）数 is at 2,033.

Only 30% of its 全住民 have received first doses as of Wednesday. Just around 10% have got both jabs.

Those vaccinated 含む hospital and 必須の 労働者s, people in long-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 care settings, 軍隊／機動隊s and adults in their 60s or older, but inconsistent 供給（する）s have left the 広大な 大多数 of younger adults still waiting.

South Korea on Wednesday received 700,000 Pfizer 発射s from イスラエル in 交流 for a 未来 出荷／船積み of ワクチンs to イスラエル from September to November, when 公式の／役人s hope South Korea´s 不足 will have 緩和するd.

Korea 病気 支配（する）／統制する and 予防 機関 Director Jung Eun-kyeong said the doses will go to ソウル and nearby Gyeonggi 州 where the ウイルス is spreading 急速な／放蕩な est. She 表明するd hope the 発射s will help 速度(を上げる） up ワクチン接種s of nursery, day care 労働者s and 幼稚園 and elementary schoolteachers, which 当局 計画（する） to start this month.