Omicron wave expected to peak within next 10 days with daily cases up to 370,000: PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday that the country is expected to see the omicron wave peak in the next 10 days with daily cases going up to 370,000.

South Korea's daily virus infections exceeded the 300,000 mark for the first time Wednesday with 342,446 cases due to the highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19.

"During that period, the government's top priority will be reducing the number of critically ill patients and deaths," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul. "To achieve this, we will secure enough hospital beds and operate them efficiently."

The prime minister said 3 out of 4 virus patients are using hospital beds designated exclusively for COVID-19 treatment due to their underlying diseases.

He added that the authorities plan to upgrade the system starting next week so that virus patients hospitalized with minor symptoms can receive their treatment at general hospital wards.

In regards to testing, Kim said results from expert-use rapid antigen tests that are conducted by medical institutions will be accepted in officially confirming COVID-19 infections, and in such cases, no polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests will be needed.

"(The upgraded system) will be able to prevent additional infections in advance as we will be able to get the results quickly," he said. "In cases of patients aged 60 and older, we will allow them to be prescribed oral COVID-19 pills immediately from medical institutions where they were tested."

Kim, who tested positive for COVID-19 early this month, said he is "sorry that a man leading the central disaster and safety countermeasure headquarters had tested positive." (Yonhap)