S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 60,000 amid concerns of winter surge

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 60,000 on Thursday amid lingering concerns over a virus resurgence during the cold winter months.

The country reported 57,079 new COVID-19 infections, including 43 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 27,155,813, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Thursday's tally is down from the 67,415 reported the previous day. While the number declined by around 2,000 cases from a week ago, it is slightly bigger than the 55,418 from two weeks ago and the 55,348 from three weeks ago.

The growth in daily infections has slowed in recent weeks, with the reproduction rate, which represents new infections estimated to stem from a single case, on the decline.

For the fourth week of November, the number was 1.01. It was 1.09 for the third week of October.

The South Korean government, however, has asked people to stay vigilant against the coronavirus and get upgraded booster shots, citing the emergence of new variants, waning vaccine efficacy and more activities indoors in winter months.

The KDCA reported 62 deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 30,568. The number of critically ill patients came to 430, down by 42 from the previous day. (Yonhap)