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| A COVID-19 testing booth is seen near Seoul Station, May 16. South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 30,000 for the second straight day, Tuesday. Yonhap |
South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 30,000 for the second straight day Tuesday as officials weighed a further easing of virus curbs as a means to return to pre-pandemic normalcy.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 31,352 new infections, including 35 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,861,744.
Tuesday's tally is down from the 35,117 reported the previous day, as the country continues to post a moderate decline in daily infection numbers since the Omicron wave peaked at over 620,000 in mid-March.
The KDCA recorded 31 deaths from COVID-19, putting the total at 23,802 for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent; while the number of critically ill patients numbered 313, down from Monday's 333.
The health authorities are expected to announce Friday whether South Korea will move on to the next stage of its post-pandemic plan and lift the seven-day mandatory quarantine requirement for confirmed COVID-19 patients.
As of midnight Tuesday, 44.56 million, or 86.8 percent of the population, had completed the full two-dose vaccinations, and 33.23 million (64.8 percent) had received their first booster shots. A total of 3.59 million people have had their second booster shots, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)
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