People wait for COVID-19 tests at a testing clinic in Seoul on Sept. 23, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Saturday tally in 11 weeks as the country is set to lift all outdoor mask mandates next week amid the virus’s downward trend.
The country reported 29,353 new COVID-19 infections, including 306 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,594,336, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
The new daily figure is the lowest of all Saturday tallies since cases dropped to 20,261 on July 9.
The daily caseload is a tad higher than 29,108 the previous day but declined from 43,442 a week ago.
New deaths from COVID-19 decreased by five to 63, putting the death toll at 28,140. The fatality rate was 0.11 percent.
The number of critically ill patients came to 418, up 19 from a day earlier.
Health authorities said the country’s sixth and latest wave of COVID-19 is slowing at a steady pace.
The highly contagious omicron virus resurged in early July and peaked at over 180,000 new cases in mid-August amid increased mobility during the summer vacation season.
The KDCA said Friday that about 97 percent of the nation has formed antibodies against the virus.
The outdoor mask mandate will be lifted in South Korea, including at large outdoor sports events and concerts, on Monday.
The indoor mask mandate will remain in effect, however, the KDCA said.
(Yonhap)
