SEOUL: South Korea has reported 1,062 new cases of the coronavirus, its third straight day of over 1,000, as authorities in Seoul warn that hospital beds are in short supply. Son Young-rae, a senior Health Ministry official, said there were only 49 intensive care beds left for Covid-19 patients nationwide, with just four of them in the capital area. He said health authorities are planning to secure around 170 more ICU beds by early January by designating more hospitals for Covid-19 treatment. Health authorities are also expanding a massive testing program to find and isolate virus carriers more quickly. South Korea is planning to secure more than 84 million doses of coronavirus vaccines.

Source: Manila Times December 19, 2020 16:18 UTC