 |
| Vice Health and Welfare Minister Ryu Geun-hyuk speaks during a meeting on the government's response to COVID-19 at the government complex in Sejong, Feb. 9. Yonhap |
A senior health and welfare ministry official has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Friday amid worries over a spike in infections of the Omicron variant and its spread among high-ranking government officials.
Second Vice Health and Welfare Minister Ryu Geun-hyuk took the polymerase chain reaction examination earlier in the day after having tested positive with a self-test kit, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
He has been deeply involved in anti-pandemic efforts since the second vice ministerial post was launched in September 2020.
All of his public schedules have been canceled, and the ministry instructed those who have come in close contact with him to take tests.
Ryu's case was the latest in recent infections of high-ranking government officials.
On Monday, Koh Seung-beom, chairman of the Financial Services Commission, tested positive for the virus. Labor Minister An Kyung-duk was also confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 on Sunday and has become the first Cabinet member testing positive for the virus.
South Korea's daily COVID-19 infections stayed above 50,000 for the second day in a row Friday amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant across the nation. (Yonhap)
![[INTERVIEW] YouTubers bridge Korean, Muslim and Latin American cultures](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/945e0052fe3c4dadb967f8bed43d0487.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Jung Woo shapes his character for Netflix's 'A Model Family'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/c12496c720f74a2b8ae2498e540ce558.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
