December 1

South Korea has seen the daily count of new coronavirus infections top 5,000 for the first time since the pandemic began.

The South Korean government says the daily tally of new cases hit a record 5,123 on Tuesday.

The number of patients with severe symptoms stood at 723, the highest ever.

In the capital Seoul, where infections are concentrated, the medical system is being tested with the occupancy rates of beds for critically ill patients exceeding 90 percent.

Around 80 percent of the country's population have been fully vaccinated. In November, the government started to ease restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

Amid an increase in public activity, infections seem to be on the rise among the elderly who were inoculated at an early stage and children who are still largely unvaccinated.

In view of the situation, the government is working to secure more than 1,300 hospital beds by mid-December, and also to bolster support for people receiving treatment at home.

Meanwhile, a close examination is currently underway after a couple who visited Nigeria was found last month to be possibly infected with the new Omicron variant.

The government has launched a taskforce made up of personnel from various government entities to respond to the situation. 

The team is considering imposing tighter entry restrictions to the country and beefing up the domestic coronavirus monitoring system.

NHK