Coronavirus infections are on the rise again in South Korea, thanks to the rapid spread of a highly contagious Omicron subvariant, according to local media on Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, 73,528 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours, more than doubling the previous day’s total.
The Omicron subvariant BA.5 was blamed for the surge, which began near the end of June, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The daily count surpassed 10,000 for the first time in nearly three weeks on June 29, before crossing 20,000 on July 9 and reaching 40,000 last week, according to the report.
The KDCA said the BA.5 subvariant accounted for 52 percent of all cases in the third week of July, up from 24 percent in the first week, indicating that the country has entered a “new virus wave.”
In South Korea, 12 more virus-related deaths occurred in the last day, bringing the total death toll to 24,765.
While most virus controls in the country have been relaxed, the government has recommended fourth vaccine shots for people aged 50 and older, as well as people aged 18 and above who have underlying health conditions, according to the report.
Source: Anadolu News
