South Korea pushes booster shots as COVID-19 spread worsens

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has reported 3,187 new cases of the coronavirus, nearly matching a one-day record set in September, a worrisome development in a country that eased social distancing rules in recent weeks to lessen the pandemic’s economic impact. Officials are now pushing to speed up the administration of booster shots as hospitalizations and deaths rise among senior citizens who rejected vaccines or people in long-term care settings whose immunities have waned after being inoculated early in the vaccine rollout, which began in February.