Daily infections below 4,000 for 3rd day amid Omicron woes

Visitors wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, Jan. 7. AP-Yonhap

New daily COVID-19 cases stayed below 4,000 for the third straight day Saturday as the country maintained tightened distancing curbs amid fears over the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 3,376 new infections, including 3,140 local ones, raising the total caseload to 664,391.

The new cases fell from 3,510 the previous day and 3,716 for Friday.

Fifty-one more deaths from the coronavirus were also recorded, raising the toll to 6,037 for a fatality rate of 0.91 percent, the KDCA added.

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 821, staying below 1,000 for six consecutive days.

In early November, the government eased antivirus restrictions as part of efforts to return to normalcy in phases under the "Living with COVID-19" strategy.

Daily cases, however, soared to a record high of 7,848, Dec. 15, prompting the government to re-impose a set of revised virus restrictions until Jan. 2, later extended to Jan. 16.

The restrictions include a four-person cap on private gatherings nationwide and a 9 p.m. business hour curfew on cafes and restaurants.

South Korea plans to bring in antiviral COVID-19 treatment pills this week, vowing to make sure they are used as swiftly as possible.

The KDCA said 43.03 million people, or 83.8 percent of the country's 52 million population, have been fully vaccinated, and 21 million, or 41 percent, have received booster shots.

The number of cases from overseas came to 236, raising the total caseload to 18,903.

Of the locally transmitted cases, 891 were reported in Seoul, 1,081 in the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and 172 in Incheon, west of the capital. (Yonhap)