MERS claims new victim, total 11 dead in South Korea

A 72yearold woman succumbed to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or coronavirus (MERS) on Friday in South Korea, bringing the number of deaths to 11.

The new victim was the only carrier of coronavirus in entire South Jeolla province, South Korea’s Newsis agency reported.

With this death, the mortality rate of the MERS outbreak, first detected in South Korea on May 20, crosses eight percent.

The total numbers of infections in the country increased Friday to 126 after four new cases were detected.

The government has claimed that the outbreak is under control as all the infections have occurred in hospitals.

Up to 55 health centers across the country are affected by the virus and at least five of them have stopped admitting new patients.

A total of 3,680 people have been quarantined while 2,788 of the 20,000 educational institutions in the country have temporarily shut down.

MERS has a 40 percent mortality rate (recorded in earlier outbreaks), according to World Health Organization, and cannot be treated with vaccines or medicines.

In the wake of the outbreak, more South Koreans have begun using masks in public places and taking precautionary measures such as increasing hygiene and refrain from visiting hospitals.