Korea reports 57,464 new cases as Omicron wave continues to ebb

People wearing face masks walk along the public area of the Cheonggye Stream in Seoul, April 27. AP-Yonhap

Daily new COVID-19 cases went down to fewer than 60,000, Wednesday, with most of the country's virus restrictions having been lifted amid the slowdown of the Omicron wave.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 57,464 new infections, including 21 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,144,065.

The tally is slightly down from 76,787 cases reported for Tuesday and sharply down from the 90,867 a week earlier, the KDCA said.

The Omicron wave has been declining after daily infections peaked at 621,178, March 17.

The death toll came to 22,588, up 122 from the previous day; while the number of critically ill patients came to 552, up six, and the second day in a row that the total was under 600.

To reflect the weakening pandemic, health authorities downgraded COVID-19 to the second-highest level of its four-tier infectious disease control system Monday.

Of the locally transmitted infections, Gyeonggi Province added 13,657, and Seoul, 9,109, the KDCA said.

As of midnight Wednesday, 44.54 million, or 86.8 percent of the 52 million population, had been fully vaccinated, and 33.09 million, or 64.5 percent, had received their first COVID-19 booster shot, the KDCA said.

A total of 1.47 million people nationwide, or 2.9 percent of the population, have received second booster shots. (Yonhap)