<Anchor> The



number of new COVID-19 cases was around 300,000 for the fourth day.

In particular, the red light came on as the number of elderly confirmed cases exceeded 20% for the first time in three months, and the number of patients with severe cases again exceeded 1,200.



On the sidewalk, this is reporter Kim Bo-mi.



<Reporter>



The number of new COVID-19 cases, which increased to 490,000 last week, decreased to about 310,000.



Compared to the same Sunday last week, the number is 16,500 fewer.



Although the decline is clear, the proportion of the elderly, the high-risk group, is increasing again.



At the beginning of last month, it was less than 10% of the total, but yesterday (26th), about 66,000 people were confirmed and soared to 20.8%.



It is the first time in three months that the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 20%.



[Cheon Eun-mi/Professor of Pulmonary Medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital: It is quite difficult to prevent secondary infection in nursing homes or hospitals (the elderly).

It is a situation in which the infection is continuously being spread through workers and caregivers...

.]



The death toll decreased by 41 to 282.



The problem is that the number of people with gastritis is not decreasing.



On the 15th, 1,244 people recorded the highest number ever, but after that, it did not decrease and rather exceeded 1,200 again in 11 days.



The government is increasing the introduction of oral medicines to reduce the number of patients with severe gastritis, but due to strict standards for taking it, the number of daily patients is limited to about 7,000.



The additionally introduced oral treatment 'Lagebrio' was not properly prescribed for the second day.



[Jeong Su-yeon / Pharmacist: Because it is an emergency use approved item, it seems that the work on the code or something like this is being delayed.

Doctors can prescribe only when a code is obtained, and after a prescription is made, dispensing and billing can be made at a pharmacy.]



Meanwhile, the government lifted the limit on purchasing self-diagnosis kits in pharmacies, which had been limited to five per person, from today.



However, online sales are still limited.



(Video coverage: In Pil-seong, Video editing: Park Ji-in)