South Korea has reported 700 new cases of COVID-19, a three-month high, amid mounting concerns the country's vaccination drive may be set back by controversy surrounding the AstraZeneca jab.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency recorded 674 local infections and 26 imported cases in the last 24 hours, raising the cumulative total to 107,598.
It marked the highest daily tally since 870 cases were reported on January 7.
Two more virus-related fatalities were also confirmed, pushing the death toll to 1,758.
Authorities have been struggling to contain cluster infections, but the fight has gotten worse due to increased spring travel and loosened vigilance against the virus.
On Friday, health officials plan to decide whether to maintain or raise the current social distancing guidelines, which will be implemented starting next week.
Currently, the greater Seoul area is under the Level 2 social distancing scheme, while most other regions are under Level 1.5.
Gatherings of more than four people are still banned nationwide.
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