New COVID-19 infections over 100,000 for 3rd day

Medical workers guide people as they wait for a COVID-19 test outside a public health center in Seoul, Feb. 17. AP-Yonhap

Daily COVID-19 infections exceeded 100,000 for the third day in a row Saturday due to the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 104,829 new cases, including 104,732 local ones, raising the total caseload to 1,962,837.

The rolling death toll from COVID-19 came to 7,405, up 51 from a day earlier for a fatality rate of 0.38 percent.

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was up 31 to 439.

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Of the locally transmitted cases, 31,326 were in Gyeonggi Province, surrounding the capital, 22,100 were in Seoul and 9,188 in the western port city of Incheon.

South Korea has seen caseloads spike in recent weeks as the Omicron variant has raged across the country, with the daily count nearly doubling in just a week after surpassing 50,000 for the first time Feb. 10.

The daily caseload exceeded 100,000 for the first time Thursday.

Despite the virus surge, the government decided Friday to raise the business hour curfews for cafes and restaurants by one hour to 10 p.m., for the next three weeks, a move unwelcomed by some experts amid concerns over a further virus uptick.

The decision came following a strong backlash from small merchants and self-employed people who have complained that the prolonged antivirus measures are dragging down sales.

The partially relaxed antivirus curbs will be in place until March 13, with the cap on private gatherings unchanged at six people, the KDCA said.

As of Sunday, 30.46 million people, or 59.4 percent of the country's 52 million population, had received booster shots. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 44.30 million, accounting for 86.3 percent, it added. (Yonhap)

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