(LEAD) S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit lowest for Monday in 6 weeks as virus slows

All News 21:50 September 05, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with tally as of 9 p.m. in paras 6-7)

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit the lowest for a Monday count in six weeks, as the virus is slowing at a steady pace.

The country reported 37,548 new COVID-19 infections, including 286 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,606,740, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The latest tally is the lowest Monday figure since 35,853 on July 25. The recent virus wave has been slowing with the daily infection cases declining from as high as 180,000 in mid-August to around 72,000 on Sunday.

South Korea reported 56 deaths from COVID-19 on Monday, putting the death toll at 27,149.

The number of critically ill patients stood at 562, up by 14 from the previous day.

As of 9 p.m. on Monday, the country reported 96,629, up 60,356 from the same time the previous day, according to health authorities and provincial governments. The increase appears attributable to a spike in virus tests following a drop over the weekend.

Daily virus cases are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.

South Korea has removed the mandatory pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement for inbound travelers. A mandatory PCR test within the first 24 hours of entry into South Korea remains in place.

Health authorities have called for vigilance against another virus uptick, as many people are expected to travel to their hometowns during the Chuseok fall harvest holiday that runs from Friday through Monday this year.