People wait in line to get tested for the coronavirus near a temporary testing center in front of Seoul Station in Seoul on March 7, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s daily coronavirus cases stayed above 200,000 for the fourth consecutive day and critical cases rose to near 1,000 Monday, as the highly contagious omicron variant continued to fuel a surge in infections.
The country reported 210,716 new COVID-19 infections, including 210,628 local cases, raising the total caseload to 4,666,977, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The daily tally has been declining since peaking at a record-high of 266,850 cases Friday. The daily caseload surpassed 200,000 for the first time Wednesday since the country reported the first virus case in January 2020.
As of 9 p.m., the country had added 196,880 new COVID-19 cases, down 3,525 from the same time the previous day, according to health authorities and city governments.
Daily cases are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.
The omicron variant has caused an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. The total virus cases passed four million Saturday, just five days after reaching the three million mark. The country crossed the one million mark early last month, the KDCA said.
While omicron causes less severe symptoms than the delta variant, the sheer size of the omicron surge escalated COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations.
The country added 139 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 9,096. The fatality rate was 0.19 percent.
Critical cases rose to 955, up 70 from a day ago. For the week ending Saturday, the corresponding tally was 761.
The KDCA on Monday raised the country’s risk level of the pandemic to the highest for the week ending on Saturday, considering the number of critical cases, bed occupancy rates in intensive care units and rates of patients aged 60 and above.
It had maintained the Level 4 of the five-tier system for the past six weeks.
As of Saturday, the omicron variant accounted for 100 percent of all locally transmitted cases confirmed in South Korea.
A student receives a coronavirus vaccine at her school in this undated file photo. (Yonhap)
Swamped by the omicron surge, the South Korean government has shifted its focus to treating serious cases and preventing deaths, ending its rigorous contact tracing program.
It also increased the use of rapid antigen self-test kits and at-home treatment, as medical staff and other resources have been stretched thin.
Starting Saturday, some multiuse facilities, including cafes and restaurants, were allowed to stay open by one more hour to 11 p.m. as part of the government’s efforts to reduce financial pain for small businesses.
The current six-person cap on private gatherings, however, will remain in place.
The new rules will be in place until March 20.
The current wave is forecast to peak around mid-March with some 350,000 daily cases, according to the KDCA.
Of the locally transmitted cases, Seoul reported 39,557 new cases. The surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western city of Incheon added 51,097 and 15,323 new infections, respectively. Cases from overseas rose by 88 to a total of 29,832.
More than 1.15 million people are currently receiving at-home treatment, up 226,894 from a day earlier.
As of Monday, 31.8 million people, or 62 percent of the country’s 52 million population, had received booster shots. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 44.39 million, accounting for 86.5 percent, according to the KDCA.
During a daily virus briefing, KDCA Chief Jeong Eun-kyeong said the government will announce a vaccination plan next week for children aged 5-11.
“We are working on a vaccine procurement plan to vaccinate children aged 5-11 and plan to announce it around next Monday,” Jeong said, adding that those with underlying health conditions will be the first group to get injected.
The health authorities have been carefully reviewing the safety of vaccines for young children amid a rise in infection cases in those aged 11 and younger. Last month, it authorized the use of Pfizer’s vaccines on the group.
(Yonhap)
