As the COVID-19 omicron variant started to spread fast, South Korea logged over 5, 000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time in 20 days, The Korea Herald reported.
A total of 5, 805 COVID-19 cases were recorded in the country as of Tuesday midnight, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Wednesday. The tally is higher by 1, 733 cases as compared to the previous day, and has pushed the total to 705, 902.
Exceeding the 5, 000-mark came for the first time in 20 days after the country recorded 5, 034 on Dec. 30.
Some 532 patients are critically ill as of Tuesday midnight and 74 deaths were added.
“(The omicron variant of coronavirus) is spreading quickly. Currently, 1 out of 4 patients is infected with the omicron variant,” Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told Wednesday’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters videoconference.
The Omicron variant is expected by the government to become the dominant variant in the country, Kim said, and a rapid rise in daily virus cases is likely to happen.
The Prime Minister called the public to get their COVID-19 booster shot.
“Vaccination is still an effective countermeasure against the omicron variant,“ he said
A total of 43.63 million out of the 52 million population were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday midnight. Twenty-four million of the fully vaccinated already received their booster dose.
Ramping up vaccination among adolescents was emphasized by Kim as the infected people in this group reached 1, 459 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea said omicron-infected patients can receive treatment from home starting Wednesday.
As of Tuesday midnight, more than 17, 000 patients – including those infected with delta variant — are being treated from home, the government’s data show.