New COVID-19 cases below 20,000 for 2nd day amid waning virus wave

Published : Oct 9, 2022 - 10:01 Updated : Oct 9, 2022 - 10:01

A medical worker guides a citizen at a makeshift testing center in Seoul last Thursday. (Yonhap)

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 20,000 for the second consecutive day Sunday, as the virus wave has subsided in recent weeks.

The country reported 17,654 new COVID-19 infections, including 61 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,970,789, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Sunday's count marks a fall from the previous day's 19,431 and from 23,578 a week earlier.

The country has seen a gradual downtrend in new infections after peaking at over 180,000 cases per day in mid-August.

The KDCA added 29 deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, raising the death toll to 28,675.

The number of critically ill patients stood at 305, compared with 287 from the previous day.

In line with the waning virus wave, the government has eased antivirus restrictions, including lifting all outdoor mask mandates and the COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing requirement for inbound travelers.

But the authorities have warned of a possible outbreak of a "twindemic" of COVID-19 and the seasonal influenza this winter, and moved to better protect vulnerable groups. (Yonhap)