New COVID-19 cases below 7,000 for 2nd day; critical cases at fresh high, Yonhap

SEOUL. KAZINFORM South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 7,000 for the second consecutive day Sunday, but critical cases hit an all-time high again, deepening concerns over medical capacity amid the continued spread of the new omicron variant.

The country added 6,689 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 517,271, which is down from 6,977 the previous day, but represents the largest ever daily caseload for any Sunday since the pandemic began last year, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Yonhap reports.

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients reached an all-time high of 894, according to the KDCA. Critical cases rose to over 400 earlier this month for the first time since end-August, and grew to over 800 last week. The previous record was 857 reported on Thursday.

The country added 43 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 4,253. The fatality rate stood at 0.82 percent.

The KDCA has confirmed 15 more omicron cases, including four entrants from overseas, raising the total to 90.

Daily infections soared to a record high of 7,174 cases on Wednesday and remained above 7,000 for the following two days. Daily cases have stayed in the quadruple digits since July 7 amid growing cluster infections.

The government is grappling with a growing shortage of hospital beds reserved for seriously ill patients, as well as medical workers and equipment.