New COVID-19 cases below 6,000 for 1st time in 6 days; critical cases remain high

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 6,000 for the first time in six days Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend amid concerns over the spread of the new omicron variant.

The country added 5,817 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 523,088, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Daily infections soared to a record high of 7,174 cases on Wednesday and remained above 7,000 for the following two days before falling to 6,977 on Saturday and 6,689 on Sunday.

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients still remained at the second-highest of 876 after reaching an all-time high of 894 Sunday, the KDCA said.

The country added 40 more deaths from the pandemic, bringing the death toll to 4,293. The fatality rate stood at 0.82 percent.

The public health agency has confirmed 24 more omicron cases, raising the total to 114. (Yonhap)