South Korea hits record 16,000 new COVID-19 infections

ANKARA (AA) – South Korea on Friday reported over 16,000 new coronavirus cases, the highest single-day tally since the beginning of the pandemic.

The daily count broke the record for the fourth straight day, spiking from 8,570 on Tuesday.

With 16,096 new infections, the country's total caseload jumped to 793,582, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. As many as 24 more patients died, taking the death toll to 6,678.

To tackle the omicron wave, from Saturday testing stations set up at public health centers and large hospitals will adopt both rapid antigen self-tests and PCR tests.

Local hospitals and clinics will also administer self-test kits from next Thursday, after the three-day Lunar New Year holiday.

"We'll ultimately change the medical system to respond to COVID-19 within the everyday medical system rather than a separate, specialized medical system," Yonhap News Agency quoted Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol as saying.

"This is an inevitable transition to reduce severe cases and deaths by focusing on the swift diagnosis and treatment of high-risk groups with the limited resources available."

The East Asian nation has fully vaccinated 85.6% of its 52 million population. More than 26 million people have also received booster shots.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid