Korea reports 118,504 new COVID-19 cases as Omicron recedes

People gather to eat and drink outside in Seoul, April 18. Yonhap

New daily COVID-19 cases jumped Monday, apparently due to increased testing, but the number was about half the total from a week ago as the spread of the Omicron sub-variant appears to be slowing down.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 118,504 infections, including 20 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 16,471,940.

The new tally is similar to the numbers seen in the third week of February when the Omicron wave started to accelerate nationwide.

The virus peaked at 621,178 cases March 17 and has since been retreating. The country reported 93,001 cases for Saturday and 47,743 for Sunday. Last Monday's tally was 210,732.

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The death toll came to 21,354, up 130 from the previous day for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent; while the number of critically ill patients came to 834, down 16.

Of the locally transmitted infections, Gyeonggi Province reported 29,671, Seoul, 21,819 and Incheon, 40 kilometers west of the capital, 6,668.

As of midnight Monday, 44.53 million, or 86.8 percent of the 52 million population, had been fully vaccinated, and 33 million, or 64.3 percent, had received booster shots, the KDCA said.

Reservations opened Monday for a second COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for people over 60, four months after their first booster dose. (Yonhap)

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