| A medical worker in a booth takes a nasal sample from a man at a makeshift COVID-19 testing site in Seoul, Jan. 19. AP-Yonhap |
Daily new COVID-19 infections jumped to over 6,000 for the first time in 27 days Wednesday amid growing worries over the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 6,603 new cases, including 6,357 local ones, raising the total caseload to 712,503.
The health authorities are on high alert over a possible spike in infections as many people travel for family reunions during the Lunar New Year holiday that begins later this month.
The daily caseload has stayed below 6,000 since Dec. 24, when it stood at 6,233. Thursday marks the second anniversary of the first recorded case of the coronavirus in Korea.
Critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 488, according to the KDCA, which also reported 28 deaths, raising the toll to 6,480 for a fatality rate of 0.91 percent.
The number of imported cases was tallied at 246, bringing that total to 22,551. (Yonhap)