Mar 17, 2022: South Korea reports record cases as Omicron wave nears peak as the country long hailed as a pandemic success story reports more than 621,000 cases and 429 deaths.

South Korea reports new cases of corona virus and new records of daily deaths as the Omicron variety spreads rapidly across the country. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 621,328 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, including 62 from abroad, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The death toll rose to a record for one day, with 429 people confirmed to have to have lost their lives, bringing the total to 11,481 since the onset of the pandemic. The growing case load comes as South Korea eases restrictions on controlling the spread of the virus, amid pressure from small businesses and others affected by the pandemic.

The government is due to announce on Friday whether it will further relax sanctions, including a curfew last night and a ban on private gatherings of more than six people.

Nevertheless, Health officials also believe that the omicron wave may be nearing its peak, although the number of cases per day is much higher than previously predicted. According to the KDCA, about 87% of South Korea’s 52 million people have been fully vaccinated and 63% have received a booster shot.

Son Yung-ray, a health ministry official, said Wednesday that an official analysis of about 141,000 Omekron cases in the country over the past year showed no deaths among people under the age of 60, who had gotten booster shots so the disease can be treated like seasonal flu.

The number of South Koreans who worry about a serious health impact from COVID-19 had dropped to about 48 percent, according to a survey by Seoul National University’s graduate school of public health.

At the same time, those who think they are likely to contract the virus was at its highest.

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