South Korea has reported a near high in coronavirus infections as a weeks-long surge extends beyond the capital region and the country’s toughest pandemic restrictions, AP reports.

The surge, increasingly fuelled by the more contagious Delta variant, is a worrisome development in a country where 70 per cent of the population is waiting for their first vaccine dose.

It further erases what had been a success story in the pandemic and underscores the challenges policymakers face in balancing measures to control virus outbreaks without further damaging their economy.

The 1,600 new cases nearly matched South Korea’s high from a day earlier and were the ninth straight day of cases exceeding 1,000. The country’s caseload is now 173,511, including 2,050 deaths.

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