SEOUL, Sept 8 (Reuters) - South Korea is drawing up a plan on how to live more normally with COVID-19, expecting 80% of adults to be fully vaccinated by late October, health authorities said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The country is in the middle of its worst wave of infections, but it has kept the number of severely ill cases under control through steadily rising vaccination rates.<\/p>\n
\"We'll review measures that will allow us to live more normally, but any such switch will be implemented only when we achieve high vaccination rates and overall (COVID-19) situations stabilise,\" Son Young-rae, a senior health ministry official, told a briefing.<\/p>\n
The strategy will be implemented in phases to gradually ease restrictions, authorities said. Masks will still be required at least in the initial stage.<\/p>\n
The government expects to implement the plan sometime after late October, when 80% of its adult population likely will have been vaccinated. As of Tuesday, South Korea had given at least one vaccine dose to 70.9% of its adult population, while 42.6% are fully vaccinated.<\/p>\n
It reported 2,050 new COVID-19 cases for Tuesday, with 2,014 of those locally acquired.<\/p>\n
South Korea extended national social distancing curbs to Oct. 3 this week as the country boosts its vaccination campaign ahead of a thanksgiving holiday that falls later this month.<\/p>\n
Restrictions in place include limited operating hours for cafes and restaurants and on the number of people allowed at social gatherings.<\/p>\n
South Korea has registered 265,423 infections since the pandemic started, with 2,334 deaths.<\/p>\n
The country has not seen a significant increase in coronavirus deaths, with a mortality rate of 0.88%, largely due to high vaccination rates among the elderly and vulnerable.<\/p>\n
Severe or critical cases stood at 387 as of Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Tom Hogue<\/p>\n
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.<\/p>\n
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S.Korea planning to live 'more normally' with COVID-19 after October - Reuters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SEOUL, Sept 8 (Reuters) - South Korea is drawing up a plan on how to live more normally with COVID-19, expecting 80% of adults to be fully vaccinated by late October, health authorities said on Wednesday. Continue reading