Korea reports 76,787 new cases amid slowdown of Omicron wave

People wait in line to receive tests at a COVID-19 testing station in Seoul, April 27. Yonhap

Korea reported fewer than 80,000 daily new COVID-19 cases for Tuesday, after most of the country's virus restrictions were lifted amid the slowdown of the Omicron wave.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) added 76,787 new infections, including 37 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,086,626.

Tuesday's tally is slightly down from the 80,361 reported for Monday. Daily counts tend to fall over the weekend due to fewer tests before rising toward the end of the week.

The Omicron wave has been declining since reaching a peak of 621,178 cases, March 17.

The death toll came to 22,466, up 141 from the previous day; while the number of critically ill patients came to 546, down 67, and the first time in 62 days for it to come under the 600 mark.

To reflect the weakening pandemic, health authorities downgraded COVID-19 to the second-highest level of its four-tier infectious disease control system Monday.

Of the locally transmitted infections, Gyeonggi Province added 18,415 and Seoul reported 11,517, the KDCA said.

As of midnight Tuesday, 44.54 million, or 86.8 percent of the 52 million population, had been fully vaccinated, and 33.08 million, or 64.5 percent, had received their first COVID-19 booster shots, the KDCA noted.

A total of 1.25 million people nationwide, or 2.4 percent of the population, have received second booster shots. (Yonhap)

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