Daily cases climb to over 7,000 for 1st time in a month amid Omicron fears
A woman wearing a face mask as a precaution against COVID-19 passes by a social distancing sign at a park in Seoul, Jan. 20. AP-Yonhap
Daily COVID-19 cases jumped to over 7,000 for the first time in a month Saturday amid the fast spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 7,009 new infections, including 6,729 local ones, raising the total caseload to 726,274.
This is the first time since mid-December that the number of daily infections climbed above 7,000.
The daily tally has surged at a fast pace this week from 4,000 to over 5,000, Wednesday, and to above 6,000, Thursday.
Twenty-eight more deaths were recorded, raising the death toll to 6,529 for a fatality rate of 0.90 percent.
The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 433, the KDCA said.
The health authorities have warned of a resurgence in the number of infections as the highly transmissible Omicron variant could become the dominant COVID-19 variant in South Korea.
The KDCA also vowed to implement a new medical response system in order to handle the pandemic in a flexible manner when the daily tally exceeds 7,000.
The detection rate of the Omicron variant reached 47.1 percent this week, and it is likely to account for more than half of all infections next week, the KDCA said.
Amid deepening Omicron fears, the government has implemented toughened antivirus curbs, including a 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants and cafes, which has been in place since mid-December and will remain effective until Feb. 6.
Currently, the limit on the size of private gatherings is set at six, and the vaccine pass program is required at several kinds of multiuse facilities, including cafes, restaurants and sports arenas.
This week, the government also began implementing extra antivirus steps ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. This year's Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 1, and the holiday lasts until Feb. 2.
During a two-week special quarantine period from Thursday, face-to-face meetings at nursing facilities will be banned, and non-contact meetings will be allowed only after prior reservations.
Dining at highway service areas will be banned, the KDCA said, adding that nine temporary COVID-19 testing stations will be set up at highway rest areas, and bus and train stations across the country.
As of Saturday, 43.78 million people, or 85.3 percent of the country's 52 million population, have been fully vaccinated, and 24.97 million, or 48.6 percent, have received booster shots, the health authorities said. (Yonhap)