Seoul's daily COVID-19 tally reaches all-time high of 3,178 cases

The daily COVID-19 tally of Seoul shot up to an all-time high of 3,178 cases Wednesday amid the fast spread of the omicron variant, officials said.

It marks the second time ever the capital's daily tally has exceeded 3,000 after 3,166 cases were recorded on Dec. 15. Wednesday's total marked a steep jump from 1,724 cases registered a day earlier, according to the Seoul city officials.

The city's accumulated COVID-19 cases stood at 257,330 cases Wednesday, about two years after the coronavirus first hit the country.

The death toll was 2,164, including nine deaths tallied on the day.

Of the new daily cases, 3,110 were locally transmitted ones, with the remaining 68 cases imported.

As of Wednesday, 86.5 percent of Seoul's entire population had received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while 49.6 percent had their third shots, the city government said.

The city is feared to report an even higher daily COVID-19 tally Thursday as a massive number of nearly 120,000 citizens tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday over infection symptoms and were waiting for their test results.

On Wednesday, the country's total daily COVID-19 infections reached yet another grim milestone of 13,012 as worsening fears over the rapid spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant continued to grip the nation. (Yonhap)