New COVID-19 cases drop below 4,000 for 1st time in nearly a month

SEOUL. KAZINFORM South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 4,000 for the first time in 28 days Tuesday due partly to antivirus restrictions and fewer tests over the weekend, but the number of critical cases remained high.

The country added 3,865 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 615,532, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Yonhap reports.

The figure marked the first time daily cases fell below 4,000 since Nov. 30, and represented a sharp decline from a daily record high of 7,849 on Dec. 15. The number of new daily cases usually shrinks at the beginning of the week due to less testing over the weekend.

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients slightly rose to 1,102 after reaching an all-time high of 1,105 on Saturday, the KDCA said. Critical cases have stayed above 1,000 for eight consecutive days.

The country added 46 more deaths from the pandemic, bringing the death toll to 5,346. The fatality rate stood at 0.87 percent.

The country also reported four new omicron variant cases, bringing the total to 449. Among them, 183 omicron variant cases are imported and 266 locally transmitted, the KDCA said.

The self-quarantine period for those who come into close contact with a confirmed patient or an individual confirmed to have the omicron variant will be shortened from the current 14 days to 10, health officials said.

The bed occupancy rate in intensive care units for COVID-19 patients in the greater Seoul area stood at 81.1 percent as of 5 p.m. on Monday, slightly down from 83.6 percent from the same time a day earlier.

A figure higher than 75 percent is considered to have surpassed the saturation point.

«Our top priority is to reduce the number of deaths and patients under critical conditions,» Health Minister Kwon Deuk-cheol told reporters, adding the government will make efforts to supply enough hospital beds so people can receive necessary treatments without delay.

«When the country launched the return-to-normalcy scheme, we did not expect a surge in the number of severely ill patients,» Kwon said. The government will also review its readiness against the omicron variant, which can potentially rise as the dominant strain, he added.