People line up to be tested of COVID-19 at a testing booth near Seoul Station, Friday. (Yonhap)
South Korea's new coronavirus cases remained in the 200,000s for the fourth consecutive day Friday in a downward trend that could cause health officials to lower the infectious disease level of COVID-19 amid eased social distancing rules.
The country reported 205,333 new COVID-19 infections, including 31 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 14,983,694, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
The public health agency reported 373 new COVID-19 deaths Friday, up from 348 on Thursday and 371 on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 18,754.
The number of critically ill patients stood at 1,093, down 23 from the previous day.
As the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to fall, South Korea said it is considering lifting the social distancing rules and allowing people to go mask-free outside if the virus stays in check through the end of next week.
On Monday, South Korea eased social distancing rules nationwide to help reduce the plight of small merchants and business owners hit hard by the pandemic.
The private gathering limit has been eased to 10 people from eight, and the business hour curfew on public places, like restaurants and cafes, has been extended by one hour to midnight.
On Friday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the government will finalize a decision on adjusting the infectious disease level of COVID-19, noting that virus cases are clearly on a downward trend.
The novel coronavirus is currently classified as "Class 1 infectious disease," the highest in the four-tier classification that falls under the same category with diseases like the Ebola virus and the Middle East respiratory syndrome, and the government is considering downgrading it by one notch.
The Class 1 infectious diseases require high-level isolation, such as negative pressure isolation, and immediate reporting on the outbreak.
A downgrade in the infectious disease level can lead to significant changes in virus responses, such as reducing the quarantine period or even lifting self-isolation measures.
Still, health authorities are wary about deaths and critical illness from the virus.
Late last year, deaths and critically ill patients resurged among senior patients as the effectiveness of their second-dose vaccine shots wore out.
As of midnight Thursday, the number of fully vaccinated people stood at 44.5 million, or 86.7 percent of the 52 million population, while 64.1 percent had received booster shots, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)
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