Korea's COVID-19 cases above 60,000 for 5th day
People wait to get tested for COVID-19 at a screening center at Seoul Station in central Seoul in this Dec. 12 file photo. Yonhap
Korea's new COVID-19 cases remained above 60,000 for the fifth straight day Friday amid concerns of a surge in cases during the winter.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 66,930 new COVID-19 infections, including 56 from overseas, bringing the overall total to 28,129,431.
It marks the highest daily figure for a Friday in 15 weeks, after the country reported 79,708 cases for Sept. 2.
The daily caseload jumped to over 86,000 for Monday, the highest in three months, before falling below 70,000 for Thursday.
Health authorities remain on alert over another virus surge as the government mulls whether to lift the country's indoor mask mandate, the last remaining COVID-19 restriction.
The KDCA plans to give a briefing on its indoor mask mandate readjustment plan next Friday.
The country added 55 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 31,353. The number of critically ill patients stood at 468, down six from Thursday.
Of the 66,874 locally transmitted infections, 12,402 cases were in Seoul, 18,021 in Gyeonggi Province surrounding the capital and 4,053 in the western port city of Incheon, according to KDCA data. (Yonhap)