Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 35,000 for 4th day on Omicron surge

People wait for a COVID-19 test at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Feb. 7. New infections stayed at more than 35,000 cases for the fourth day in a row Monday as the highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus has become the dominant strain in Korea. AP-Yonhap

New daily COVID-19 infections stayed over 35,000 for the fourth day in a row Monday as the highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus has become the country's dominant strain.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 36,719 new cases, including 36,619 local ones, raising the country's overall total to 1,081,681.

The accumulated caseload surpassed the grim milestone of 1 million Sunday, two years after Korea reported its first COVID-19 case.

Monday's tally is double the levels seen a week ago and more than a four-fold jump from two weeks ago, the KDCA said.

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Deaths from COVID-19 reached 6,922, up 36 from Monday for a fatality rate of 0.64 percent, down from 0.66 percent a day earlier.

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was 268, two down from the previous day, the KDCA said. The number has stayed in the 200s range for 11 days in a row.

The KDCA said intensive care unit beds for critically ill COVID-19 patients were 18.2 percent occupied nationwide, staying at a stable level.

At-home care patients rose by 12,724 from the previous day to 159,169 due to the fast spread of mildly symptomatic COVID-19 or patients without symptoms, the KDCA said.

Earlier, KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong forecast that at-home care patients may reach around 1 million by early March.

The authorities have said the fast spread of the Omicron variant has overwhelmed health workers and government officials, leading the authorities to end their daily checkup calls to low-risk COVID-19 patients being treated at home.

Health officials will now only make daily checkup calls to high-risk COVID-19 patients in their 60s or older or those with preexisting medical conditions. Low-risk patients in their 50s or younger will now be left to monitor their own condition and contact local hospitals if their symptoms deteriorate.

As of Tuesday, 28.42 million people, or 55.4 percent of the country's 52 million population, had received booster shots. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 44.13 million people, accounting for 86 percent. (Yonhap)

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