South Korea’s daily virus figure exceeds 7,000 for first time

People queue for coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site in Seoul (AP)

New coronavirus infections in South Korea have exceeded 7,000 for the first time since the start of the pandemic as long queues snaked around testing stations in the capital Seoul amid a worsening virus crisis.

More than 5,600 of the new 7,175 cases were reported in Seoul and the nearby metropolitan region, where a Delta variant-driven surge has led to a shortage of hospital beds and strained an already depleted health care workforce.