SEOUL, Feb. 18 (BNA): South Korea will extend dining hours in restaurants but maintain a six-person limit on private social gatherings as it grapples with the massive coronavirus wave led by the highly contagious omicron variant.
The 109,831 new cases reported Friday was another record and a nearly 25-fold increase from levels seen in mid-January, when Omicron became the dominant strain in the country.
More than 516,000 infections have been counted in the past seven days alone, bringing the number of cases in South Korea to more than 1.75 million, according to the Associated Press.
Long queues swarmed around public health offices and testing stations in the densely populated capital of Seoul, as health workers in hazmat suits distributed rapid antigen test kits and collected throat and nose samples from the elderly and other at-risk groups.
So far, the probability of Omicron causing serious illness or death appears lower than the Delta variant, which hit the country hard in December and January. But cases are increasing at a faster pace and appears to be putting the country on the brink of a potential surge in hospitalizations.
Officials have already extended curfews on restaurants and other businesses from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., but private social gatherings of seven or more people will remain prohibited until at least March 13.
People will continue to be required to show their vaccination status through smartphone apps or documents to enter crowded places such as restaurants, cafes, gyms and karaoke venues.
The Ministry of Health said that about 30% of the intensive care units designated to treat COVID-19 are currently occupied.
The ministry said 385 virus patients are in serious or critical condition, which was more than 100 a week ago but still below the levels of around 1,000 seen in late December during the Delta outbreak.
While omicron easily infects those who have been vaccinated or have previously had the COVID-19 virus, experts say vaccination and booster shots still provide powerful protection against serious illness and death.
More than 86% of South Koreans have been fully vaccinated and 58% have received booster injections. Health officials have begun providing the IV vaccinations in nursing homes and other long-term care settings that seek it.
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