S. Korea reports 540 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday

신규확진 540명, 이틀째 500명대…위중증 하루새 16명 급증 비상The number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea is in the five-hundred range for the second day in a row.But, in some weclome news, health authorities say the government has reached a deal with vaccine maker AstraZeneca.Min Suk-hyen reports.South Korea reported 540 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday… the second straight day with more than five-hundred cases.Of Thursday's cases, 516 were locally transmitted and only 24 were from overseas.More than 80 percent of the newly confirmed cases were concentrated in the greater Seoul area ... with the capital reporting 260 infections, while Gyeonggi-do Province and Incheon saw 137 and 22 cases, respectively.This brings the country's total cases to over 35-thousand.Recent cluster infections include an English academy and a call center in Gangnam-gu district.With the recent rise in cases, the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients rose to 117, after 16 more were added from the previous day.The country's death toll for the virus increased by three to 529, putting the fatality rate at 1-point-48 percent.Meanwhile, according to health authorities, the government has completed an agreement with AstraZeneca and will share details of the agreement once negotiations with other vaccine developers are also complete.South Korea has been working to purchase COVID-19 vaccines from five major firms, which are in their third phase of clinical trials, such as Pfizer and Moderna.Min Suk-hyen, Arirang News.