Seoul, Aug 23 (IANS) The number of heat-related patients in South Korea has exceeded 3,000 so far this year, as scorching heat continues to sweep across the nation, health authorities said on Friday.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the total number of such patients had reached 3,019 as of Wednesday, since May 20, when the government began monitoring cases for the year, Yonhap news agency reported.
The agency said that extreme heat has also claimed 28 lives so far this year in the country.
It marks the second-largest tally on record, with the highest number of heat-related patients reported in 2018 when 4,526 cases were recorded.
The latest figure has already surpassed the 2,818 cases posted in 2023, which were recorded between May 20 and September 30 last year.
The Korea Meteorological Administration, meanwhile, expects the country to remain under the influence of heat waves and to experience tropical nights through early September.
Seoul has experienced 36 tropical nights this summer as of Friday, including a stretch of 33 consecutive days, marking the highest frequency since modern meteorological observations began in the capital city in 1907.
A tropical night occurs when temperatures remain at or above 25 degrees Celsius from 6:01 p.m. until 9 a.m. the following day.
The KMA anticipates that the current heatwave will last longer because of the continued convergence of the Tibetan and North Pacific high-pressure systems over the Korean peninsula.
Meanwhile, the country is also battling the Covid-19 summer wave.
On Thursday, the KDCA said the number of patients hospitalised for Covid showed signs of abating.
Although the weekly number of Covid-19 inpatients grew last week, the growth rate of hospitalisation plunged, the KDCA said.
The number of Covid-19 patients in 220 hospitals last week came to 1,444, up 5.7 per cent from a week earlier, the report said.
That compared with 1,366 patients in the second week of this month, up 55.2 per cent from a week earlier, and 880 patients in the first week, up 85.7 percent from a week ago.
“Considering the current trend, the number of infections is expected to decrease after this week or the next,” KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee said during a meeting with related government agencies.
–IANS
rvt/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
