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Coronavirus Deaths Top 350,000 Worldwide

VOA News

   The worldwide death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic has surpassed
   350,000.

   The milestone comes as South Korea announced Wednesday its highest
   number of new cases in 49 days.Authorities are focusing on testing
   workers from e-commerce giant Coupang after dozens of cases were linked
   to a company site outside of Seoul.

   South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saidallbut
   four of its 40 new cases were in the Seoul area.The country was an
   early hotspot for the coronavirus outbreak, but now barely ranks in the
   top-50 in terms of confirmed infections, according tostatistics
   compiled by the Baltimore-basedJohns Hopkins University.

   "We will do our best to trace contacts and implement preventive
   measures, but there's a limit to such efforts,"KCDC
   headJeongEun-kyeongsaid. "There's a need to maximize social distancing
   in areas where the virus is circulating, to force people to avoid
   public facilities and other crowded spaces."

   Brazil has emerged as a major source of concern, trailing only the
   United States in the number of infections.On Tuesday it reported the
   most single day deaths in the world, with 1,039, its
   fifthconsecutiveday atop the grim list.

   India posted its record high of 6,000 new cases reported Wednesday,
   pushing its total above 150,000.

   Mexico also reported troubling escalations in its coronavirus outbreak,
   with anew highof 501 deaths and 3,455 new confirmed cases.

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