SOUTH KOREA RECORDS NEARLY 300 NEW COVID CASES

South Korean health authorities on Wednesday reported 297 new coronavirus cases, marking the highest daily increase since early March, news agency Yonhap reported on August 19, 2020, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) said.

The country has seen a sharp jump in infections over the previous week, recording almost 1,300 new cases, according to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The total number of infections now stands at 16,058, while 306 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Of the new cases, 283 were local transmissions, according to the KCDC.

Wednesday's daily tally is the highest since March 8, when 367 cases were recorded, Yonhap reported. In the capital city Seoul 150 new cases were reported and a further 94 in the surrounding Gyeonggi province. As of Tuesday, 457 cases had been linked to an outbreak in Seoul's Sarang Jeil church.