S. Korea Reports 1st Fetal COVID-19 Death

South Korean health authorities said Wednesday that a fetus died of COVID-19 in the first case in the country.

A 24-week pregnant woman delivered the stillborn baby on Monday, four days after being confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The authorities pointed out the fetus tested positive for COVID-19 after the birth.

Earlier in the day, the KDCA announced that the country added 35 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest number since the start of the 4th wave of the pandemic in July, bringing the death toll to 3,363.

Later on, the KDCA excluded fetal death from the daily death toll, bringing the accumulated death toll to 3,362.

In September, the government extended social distancing curbs for several weeks to control pandemic outbreaks nationwide ahead of thanksgiving.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced that restaurants and cafes in the greater Seoul area would be allowed to close an hour later each evening and families would be allowed to gather in groups of up to eight people in the week of the Sept. 21 Chuseok holiday, known as Korean Thanksgiving Day.