South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to 28,000s as Omicron wave ebbs

Medical workers guide a visitor at a COVID-19 testing booth in Seoul's central district of Jongno, May 19. Yonhap

New COVID-19 cases fell to around 28,000 for Wednesday, showing a modest decline as the spread of the Omicron variant continues to slow down.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 28,130 new infections, including 15 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,889,849.

Wednesday's tally marks a further fall from 31,352 and 35,117 counted for Tuesday and Monday, respectively. Daily infection numbers have stayed in the 10,000 to 50,000 range this month after hitting six digits in March and April at the height of the worst of the Omicron wave.

The KDCA said there had been 40 more deaths, putting the total at 23,842, for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent; while the number of critically ill patients dropped to 274 from 313 the previous day.

The health authorities will announce later this week their next post-pandemic moves, including whether they will lift the seven-day quarantine mandate for confirmed COVID-19 patients, although it is expected they might hold back on this plan.

Officials are believed to share the view that relaxing more virus curbs would be premature, considering the continuing Omicron spread and possibility of another variant outbreak.

The government has eased most of its COVID-19 related restrictions, such as the cap on private gatherings and business hour curfews, after the virus curve began to head downward amid high vaccination rates.

As of midnight Wednesday, 44.56 million, or 86.8 percent of the population, had completed the full two-dose course of vaccinations, and 33.24 million (64.8 percent) had received their first booster shots. A total of 3.65 million people have had gotten their second boosters, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)

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