Published : Feb. 22, 2022 - 22:12
Healthcare workers are seen at a COVID-19 testing center in Seoul, Tuesday. (Yonhap)
South Korea's new COVID-19 infections surpassed 150,000 for the first time Tuesday amid the fast spread of the omicron variant across the country.
According to health authorities and local governments, a total of 158,005 cases had been confirmed nationwide as of 9 p.m., up 60,070 from 97,935 posted the same time the previous day. The previous daily high was set last Friday at 109,823.
The total number for Tuesday is expected to rise further, as daily cases are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.
Earlier in the day, the country reported 99,573 new COVID-19 infections, including 99,444 local cases, raising the total caseload to 2,157,734, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
New daily infections have risen at a fast pace in recent weeks, surpassing the 100,000 mark for the first time Friday. They remained above the threshold for two more days before falling to 95,362 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend.
The health authorities have warned that the caseload could spike further to as high as 270,000 by early next month due to the highly transmissible omicron variant.