South Korea reports more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases amid Omicron wave

South Korea reported more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases – the highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic – on Wednesday. The latest wave of infections is fueled by the Omicron variant but the government believes that they are nearing the peak ofthe ongoing Omicron wave.

The latest spike in cases is the “last biggest challenge” facing the country, Sohn Young-rae, a senior health official, said in a press briefing according to AFP.

“If we overcome this crisis, we will step closer to returning to normalcy,” he added.

According to the latestWorld Health Organisation (WHO) data, South Korea leads the world in newly reported cases in the last seven days with 2,358, 878 cases followed by Vietnam with 1,795,380.

South Korea will lift mandatory quarantine on arrival for fully vaccinated visitors from March 21.

On the domestic front, South Korea has already relaxed its social distancing rules after protests from small businesses who were clear that the rules were hampering their income. Currently, the country has a 11pm curfew for businesses and a six-person limit for most private gatherings.

The South Korean government will take further decisions regarding the restrictions on Friday.

When it comes to vaccination, the eligible population of South Korea has received both vaccination doses and the booster jabs. As a result, although the infection rate is extremely high, the number of deaths remain low.

The current situation has also put an immense amount of pressure on the healthcare system which has resulted in the abandonment of the ‘trace, test and treat’ system.

(With agency inputs)