New cases hit record high of 56,431 amid Omicron surge
People wait in line to be tested for COVID-19 at a makeshift testing center in Seoul, Feb. 13. The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Korea reached a fresh high of 56,431 for Saturday, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant continued to spread rapidly across the nation. Yonhap
The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Korea reached a fresh high of 56,431 for Saturday, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant continued to spread rapidly across the nation.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the fresh cases included 56,297 local ones, and raised the country's total caseload to 1,350,630.
The latest figure marks the fourth day in a row of daily infections above 50,000 ― 54,941 cases were reported for Friday.
New daily infections have surged sharply recently due to the Omicron variant, reaching over 40,000 for the first time Wednesday, just four days after breaking the 30,000 mark Feb. 5.
The death toll from COVID-19 came to 7,081, up 36 from Friday for a fatality rate of 0.52 percent, the KDCA said.
The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was 288, up 13 from a day earlier ― as the daily tally has stayed in the 200s for 16 days in a row.
The number of patients receiving at-home treatment also rose to an all-time high of 214,869.
The health authorities have warned that the daily new cases could hit 170,000 by around the end of the month. The National Institute of Mathematical Sciences, a state-run think tank, estimated the figure could even soar as high as 360,000 by early next month.
As of Sunday, 29.42 million people, or 57.3 percent of the country's 52 million population, had received booster shots. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 44.22 million people, accounting for 86.2 percent. (Yonhap)