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Seoul's daily COVID-19 cases hit new record

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A senior citizen gets COVID-19 booster shot at a hospital in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, Dec. 4. Yonhap

Seoul's new daily COVID-19 infections hit an all-time high again for Friday amid growing concerns of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported a record high 2,273 new daily cases in the capital ― 2,266 local ones and seven from overseas ― bringing the total caseload for Seoul to 163,146.

The daily figure marks the highest since the country reported its first COVID-19 case in January last year and is five cases more than the previous record of 2,268 set Wednesday.

The latest tally was also up 174 from the 2,099 reported for Thursday and 385 from the 1,888 recorded a week ago.

Seoul's new daily coronavirus cases topped 1,000 for the first time Sept. 24, when 1,221 new patients were confirmed. After staying below the mark for some time, the number again soared to 1,004, Nov. 2, and since then, the capital has set seven new daily records.

The city's daily number of COVID-19 deaths also hit a record high of 30, bringing its total to 1,178. (Yonhap)