S. Korea's new COVID-19 infections below 40,000 for second day

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 40,000 for the second straight day Friday amid lingering concerns over resurgence woes.

The country reported 35,924 new COVID-19 infections, including 60 from overseas, bringing the total to 25,466,992, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

Friday's tally is a drop from the weekly peak but 11,173 higher than that logged from the previous week, KDCA data showed.

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said early Friday that daily caseloads have "passed a plateau and are showing signs of a resurgence," with the R figure -- a way of rating the coronavirus or any disease's ability to spread -- above 1 for two consecutive weeks.

An R value over 1 means the number of cases is increasing.

The country reported 31 deaths, bringing the death toll to 29,100.

The number of critically ill patients came to 252.

Booster shots against the omicron variant have been expanded to adults aged over 18 since Wednesday amid growing "twindemic" risks of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu.

Anyone who has either tested positive for COVID-19 or completed over two full rounds of inoculations more than four months ago are eligible for boosters.

Individuals can choose between three types of mRNA vaccines -- Moderna and Pfizer shots against the BA.1 variant, and Pfizer shots against the BA.4 and BA.5 variants -- or protein-based vaccines, such as Novavax and Skycovione.

Some 98,000 adults between the ages of 18 to 59 have made reservations for booster shots since reservations opened Thursday, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)