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South Korean city of Daegu, once the epicentre outside of China, reports zero new coronavirus cases

WION Web Team
New Delhi, Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Apr 10, 2020, 08:48 AM IST
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Photograph:(AFP)

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Outside of China, it was the South Korean city of Daegu, which endured the first large coronavirus outbreak. On Friday, it reported zero new cases for the first time since late February, as new infections across the country dropped to record lows.

Coronavirus was first reported in late December 2019 in Wuhan in China. The deadly virus since then has infected more than 1.5 million people and led to over 90,000 deaths around the world.

Outside of China, it was the South Korean city of Daegu, which endured the first large coronavirus outbreak. On Friday, it reported zero new cases for the first time since late February, as new infections across the country dropped to record lows.

Daegu accounts for more than half of all South Korea's 10,450 infections -- at least 6,807. The spread of infections at a church in Daegu drove a massive spike in cases in South Korea beginning in late February.

South Korea on Friday reported 27 new cases as of the night before, a new low since daily cases peaked at more than 900 in late February, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The death toll stands at 208.

South Korea had used widespread testing and social distancing measures to bring the numbers down, as the outbreak had initially pushed the tally of confirmed cases much higher than anywhere else outside of China.

Meanwhile, early voting in South Korea's parliamentary election kicked off on Friday, with coronavirus patients casting ballots at designated stations and candidates adopting new ways of campaigning to limit the risk of contagion.