Daily cases over 4,000 for 5th day amid strict curbs ahead of holiday
SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the fifth straight day Sunday as health authorities remain vigilant over a possible upsurge in infections and the spread of the omicron variant ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.
The country added 4,194 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,813 local infections, raising the total caseload to 692,174, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The figure was smaller than the previous day's 4,419 but marked the fifth consecutive day that the figure was above 4,000.
The country reported 29 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,310, according to the health authorities. The fatality rate came to 0.91 percent.
The number of imported cases was tallied at 381, compared with a daily high of 409 reported Friday.
The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 612, down from the previous day's 626.
The daily cases are showing signs of staying relatively lower after reaching a daily peak of nearly 8,000 cases in mid-December, but health authorities remain on alert over a potential upsurge in infections and the spread of the omicron variant.
Of particular concern is a possible resurgence during the Lunar New Year holiday later this month when a large number of people tend to travel for family reunions.
To stave off a further increase in infections, the government plans to maintain a 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants and cafes while raising the limit on the size of private gatherings to six from the current four. The revised rules will be in place from Monday through Feb. 6.
Those restrictions were back in place after the government eased long-enforced antivirus restrictions in early November as part of efforts to return to normalcy in phases under the "living with COVID-19" scheme.
Daily cases, however, soared to a record high of 7,848 on Dec. 15, prompting the government to reimpose a set of revised virus restrictions for two weeks, which were originally supposed to end Sunday.
With domestic cases still dominant, imported cases recently increased sharply, causing the government to ban all entrants' use of public transportation upon arrival and tighten rules on the proof of negative COVID-19 test results starting this Thursday.
Of the domestic cases reported Sunday, 826 cases were confirmed in Seoul, 1,511 in the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and 235 in the western port city of Incheon.
A total of 43.5 million people, or 84.8 percent of the country's 52 million population, have been fully vaccinated, and 23.3 million, or 45.5 percent, have received booster shots, the health authorities said.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
New Defense Minister Lee takes office, warns of 'stern' response to possible N.K. provocations
-
(LEAD) Yoon taps ex-deputy NSA for spy chief
-
Gov't to significantly increase international flights to meet travel demand
-
Psy returns to Billboard Hot 100 after 7 years with 'That That'
-
(URGENT) Yoon takes oath of office
-
Full text of President Yoon's inaugural address
-
(2nd LD) Yoon offers to revive N.K. economy with 'audacious plan'
-
S. Korea to send condolence delegation to UAE over death of president
-
(3rd LD) Moon appeals for resumption of inter-Korean dialogue in farewell speech
-
(News Focus) With Yoon, S. Korea, U.S. to strengthen alliance, deterrence against N. Korea: experts
-
S. Korean Navy SEAL-turned-YouTuber in Ukraine claims to be injured
-
N. Korea asks China for help in fight against COVID-19: source
-
(LEAD) N. K. leader issues special order on medicine supply against epidemic: state media
-
Yoon offers unsparing COVID-19 aid to N. Korea
-
(4th LD) N. Korea reports 15 new deaths amid COVID-19 outbreak