Outbound travelers wait in line at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul, on July 20, 2022, amid the spread of an omicron subvariant. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s new coronavirus cases stayed above 70,000 for the third straight day Thursday due to the spread of a highly contagious omicron subvariant.
The country reported 71,170 new COVID-19 infections, including 320 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 19,009,080, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
The daily caseload more than doubled to 73,582 on Tuesday from 26,299 a day earlier and rose to 76,402 on Wednesday.
Health authorities reported 17 deaths from the virus Thursday, putting the death toll at 24,794. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent.
The number of critically ill patients was 107, up from the previous day’s 96.
As of 9 p.m. Thursday, the country had reported 66,491 additional cases, down 2,230 from the same time Wednesday and 1.79 times the number from a week ago. Daily cases are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.
A medical worker (R) guides people at a COVID-19 testing clinic in southern Seoul on July 21, 2022. (Yonhap)
The omicron suvariant BA.5 has spread fast since end-June with the start of the summer holiday season. The daily count hit over 10,000 on June 29 for the first time in about three weeks before jumping to over 20,000 on July 9 and then above 40,000 on July 13.
The subvariant accounted for 52 percent of the country’s total COVID-19 cases, including cases from overseas, in the third week of July, up from the first week’s 24 percent, the KDCA said.
The country entered a new virus wave, ending a downward trend from the peak of more than 620,000 in mid-March, the health agency said, adding daily infections could surge to over 200,000 next month.
To keep the virus from spreading further, the government recommended fourth COVID-19 vaccine shots for people aged 50 and older, as well as people aged 18 and older who have underlying health problems, starting Monday.
Previously, people aged 60 and older and people who have an immune disorder were eligible for the fourth vaccine dose.
The move comes as the nation is facing another resurgence of the virus, driven by the omicron strain BA.5, which is known to be more contagious and better able to escape immunity compared with earlier versions.
(Yonhap)
