Korea reports 187,213 new COVID-19 infections amid spread of 'stealth' Omicron variant
People wait in line to take a COVID-19 test at a makeshift testing center in Tapgol Park, Seoul, March 28. Yonhap
South Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases fell below 200,000 for the first time in 25 days Sunday, as the Omicron variant-driven peak appears to have passed amid growing concerns over the spread of the even more transmissible "stealth Omicron" sub-variant.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 187,213 new infections, including 25 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 12,003,054.
This is the first time that the daily caseload has dropped below 200,000 since March 2 when the figure came to 198,803.
The caseload has been on a constant slide since Tuesday. Sunday's tally was down from 318,130 reported the previous day, while the comparable figure for a week earlier was 209,000.
Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said the virus wave reached its peak around last week and has shifted to a downward trend 11 weeks after a drastic increase in infections.
"But we cannot let down our guard, as the number of serious cases and deaths could spike two to three weeks after the peak," Kwon said during a meeting over the country's response to the coronavirus.
The country added 287 deaths, up five from Sunday's tally for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent.
The number of critically ill patients came to 1,273, up 57 from the previous day, the KDCA said.
The country has seen the BA.2 "stealth Omicron" sub-variant become dominant, with it accounting for 56.3 percent of infections last week up from 22.9 percent in the first week of the month, the minister noted.
"As the stealth omicron has been spreading at a fast pace, the number of virus patients has moved up again in some European nations. We need to monitor the situation more closely before definitely saying the pandemic is tracking downward," he added.
As of Monday, 32.63 million people out of the total population, or 63.6 percent, had received booster shots. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 44.47 million, representing 86.7 percent, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)