Korea's daily COVID-19 cases surpass 14,000 amid rapid Omicron spread

Health workers wearing protective gear stand to help visitors at a temporary screening clinic for COVID-19 near Seoul City Hall, Jan. 26. AP-Yonhap

Daily COVID-19 cases hit over 14,000 here Wednesday, breaking the record for the number of infections for a third consecutive day as the highly contagious Omicron variant spreads across the country at an unprecedented speed.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 14,518 infections, including 14,301 local ones, bringing the total caseload to 777,497.

Korea posted its first five-digit daily tally of 13,012, Wednesday, following the previous record high of 8,570, Tuesday. The daily counts have nearly quadrupled since early last week, when the figure hovered around 3,800.

The death toll from COVID-19 registered 6,654, up 34 from Wednesday, for a fatality rate of 0.86 percent.

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The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was 350, down 35 from the previous day.

The health authorities introduced a readjusted virus response system this week to better tackle the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Under the regime, rapid antigen self-tests replace polymerase chain reaction tests at testing sites, except for those aged over 60 or high-risk groups. Local hospitals and clinics will administer diagnostic tests and treat patients starting Feb. 3.

Vaccinated COVID-19 patients who do not show severe symptoms will need to quarantine and go through treatment at home for seven days, instead of 10. A vaccinated person who comes into close contact with a COVID-19 patient won't need to quarantine but take a PCR test about a week after the contact.

The KDCA said the revised regime is designed to minimize critical cases and deaths, while preventing an overload and collapse of the medical system.

The system, currently being applied in parts of the country, will expand nationwide after the three-day Lunar New Year holiday running until Feb. 2.

Of the locally transmitted cases, Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul reported 4,738 new cases, followed by the capital with 3,385 and the western port city of Incheon with 1,010.

The number of imported cases was tallied at 217, bringing that total to 24,451.

As of Thursday, 26.04 million people, or 50.7 percent of the country's 52 million population, had received booster shots, the KDCA said. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 43.90 million people, accounting for 85.6 percent. (Yonhap)

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