Daily cases over 6,000 for 2nd day amid omicron woes

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed over 6,000 for a second straight day Friday amid concerns over the spread of the omicron variant ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The country added 6,769 new COVID-19 infections, including 6,482 local infections, raising the total caseload to 719,269, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Health authorities are on high alert over a possible spike in infections as many people travel for family reunions during the Lunar New Year holiday that begins late this month.

The daily caseload jumped to over 6,000 for the first time in 27 days Thursday after staying below 6,000 since Dec. 24, when it stood at 6,233.

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 431 on Friday. The country reported 21 COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,501. The fatality rate was 0.90 percent.

The number of imported cases was tallied at 287, bringing the total imported cases to 22,836.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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