S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases continue on-week decline

All News 09:58 March 14, 2023

SEOUL, March 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose to over 11,000 on Tuesday but continued their on-week decline amid an overall downtrend, health authorities said.

The country reported 11,401 new coronavirus cases, including 11 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,650,330, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

It marked an increase from the previous day's 4,198 cases but fell from 12,281 cases a week earlier.

The figure on Mondays tends to be lower due to fewer tests over the weekend.

The country has managed the virus situation in a stable manner despite sporadic growth in infection numbers, with average daily infections coming to around 10,000 over the past week.

The country reported six deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, putting the death toll at 34,121.

The number of critically ill patients came to 152, up from 142 a day earlier, the KDCA said.

Given the stable virus situation, the government is considering lifting a mask-wearing mandate on public transportation as early as this month, and the decision is expected to be announced Wednesday, officials said.

In January, the government removed the indoor mask mandate, except at hospitals, pharmacies and public transportation, as it has accelerated efforts to support people's return to pre-pandemic normalcy.