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| People wait to get tested for COVID-19 at a testing center in Seoul Station, Dec. 11. Yonhap |
New COVID-19 infections fell below 7,000 for the first time in four days Friday as the country struggles to tackle the fast spread of the coronavirus, including the new Omicron variant.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 6,977 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 510,538.
Daily infections soared to a record high of 7,174 cases Tuesday and remained above 7,000 for the following two days.
The number of people waiting for hospital treatment also hit a record high of 1,508, up 250 from Thursday. Of those, 583 were patients aged 70 or above.
The rate of hospital beds in use for critical patients in the capital area stood at 83.9 percent as of 5 p.m. Friday, while the national figure was recorded at 79 percent.
On Monday, the government reintroduced stricter social distancing rules to contain the rapid spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.
Under the new measures, which will remain in effect until Jan. 2, private gatherings are limited to six people in the greater Seoul area and eight in the rest of the country.
More business facilities now require visitors to be fully vaccinated or to show a negative COVID-19 test result. Those newly added to the so-called vaccine pass system include restaurants, coffee shops, cram schools and internet cafes.
The KDCA has confirmed 12 new Omicron cases, pushing the total up to 75.
The number of critically ill patients came to 856, up four from the previous day, while the death toll hit a daily high of 80, pushing the total to 4,210.
On the vaccination front, 83.6 percent of the country's 52 million population have received at least one shot of a vaccine, while 81.1 percent have received two shots and 11.8 percent have had booster shots. (Yonhap)
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