COVID-19 cases in S. Korea surpass 5,621 death toll rises to 34

코로나19 확진자 총 5천621명•사망 34명, 전국 48곳 드라이브 스루 선별진료 확대

The number of COVID-19 cases here in the nation surpassed 56-hundred, and the death toll continues to rise.
To prevent further spread, South Korea is increasing its number of drive-through triage centers that can test patients more quickly.
Lee Kyung-eun has our top story.
Since Tuesday, more than 800 new cases have been confirmed in Korea, bringing the total number in the country to over 56-hundred.
Four more deaths were reported overnight to bring the total to 34.
Announcing these figures on Wednesday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 65 percent of the cases are community-based transmissions.
The majority are linked to the Daegu-based religious group Shincheonji, which has been the source of almost 3-thousand cases.
In the coastal city of Busan and the city of Suwon in Gyeonggi-do Province, major clusters of cases are tied to local churches.
And in Cheongdo County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, 1-hundred-19 infections were reported from Daenam Hospital, while in the city of Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do Province, some 80 patients were infected after attending zumba dance classes in 7 fitness centers.
In Seoul, 12 cases have been reported at an apartment complex in the Seongdong-gu District.
To better contain further spread of the virus in local communities, health authorities have come up with an innovative way to speed up detection by introducing drive-through triage centers.
After filling out a health questionnaire, which asks if you have symptoms and about your travel history, doctors will check your body temperature and for any respiratory problems.
If there are no significant symptoms, you are free to go.
But if you do have symptoms, medical staff will take a sample for testing by swabbing your nose and throat.
This takes around 15 minutes, which is around one third of the usual time,... and each center can carry out up to 60 tests each day.
Currently, 48 centers are offering this drive-through service. The government said that it will distribute standardized guidelines to regional governments and that the test centers can be run with a minimum of four staff.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.

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