Citizens wait in line to receive COVID-19 tests at a temporary testing site in front of Seoul Station in the capital on Feb. 25, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases stayed below 170,000 for the second straight day Saturday, but the daily death count hit an all-time high amid the fast spread of the omicron variant.
The country reported 166,209 new COVID-19 infections, including 166,068 local cases, raising the total caseload to 2,831,283, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The tally slightly rose from the 165,890 reported Friday. Daily infections exceeded the 100,000 mark for the first time last week and hit a record high of 171,442 on Wednesday.
The surge in virus cases raised the number of COVID-19 deaths and critically ill patients.
The country added 112 more COVID-19 deaths, the most ever. The death toll came to 7,895, and the fatality rate was 0.28 percent, according to the KDCA.
The number of seriously ill virus patients came to 643, down from the previous day’s 655.
As of 9 p.m. Saturday, the country had reported 153,528 new cases nationwide, down 4,869 from the same time the previous day, according to health authorities and provincial governments. Daily virus cases are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.
A worker packages COVID-19 self-test kits at Osang Healthcare in Anyang, 23 kilometers south of Seoul, on Feb. 23, 2022. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
The government said the current wave is expected to peak at some 250,000 daily cases in mid-March as the highly contagious omicron variant is raging across the nation.
Health authorities said they will focus on dealing with serious cases and preventing deaths in a bid to better deal with the omicron wave under the current medical system as the strain has milder severity than other variants.
Instead of rigorous contact tracing, the government opted for enhanced at-home treatment and more use of rapid antigen self-test kits.
The number of patients receiving at-home treatment hit another high of 703,694, up 53,513 from the previous day.
South Korea partially relaxed its virus curbs last week by extending the business hour curfews for cafes and restaurants by one hour to 10 p.m. But it maintained the six-people cap on private gatherings. The measures will be effective until March 13.
Of the locally transmitted cases reported, Seoul reported 36,773 new cases. The surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western city of Incheon added 48,147 and 12,113 new infections, respectively. Cases from overseas went up 141 to 29,006.
As of the midnight, 31 million people, or 60.9 percent of the country’s 52 million population, had received booster shots. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 44.3 million, accounting for 86.4 percent, according to the KDCA.
(Yonhap)
