S.Korea Reports 15,797 New COVID-19 Cases

South Korea reported 15,797 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Tuesday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 18,119,415, the health authorities said Wednesday, reports Xinhua.

The daily caseload was down from 17,191 in the previous day, and lower than 23,945 tallied a week earlier, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).  

The health authorities believed that the daily caseload has been on the decline following the Omicron variant-driven resurgence, which may have peaked in the middle of March. Among the new cases, 44 were imported, lifting the total to 32,865.

The number of infected people who were in a serious condition stood at 188, up eight from the previous day. A total of 21 more deaths were confirmed, leaving the death toll at 24,197. The total fatality rate was 0.13 percent.

The number of people who received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines was 86.9 percent of the total population, and the figure for those getting booster jabs was 64.9 percent.