New COVID-19 cases above 50,000 for 3rd day amid resurgence woes

People line up to be tested for COVID-19 at a booth in Seoul. (Yonhap)

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 50,000 for the third consecutive day Saturday amid concerns of a possible resurgence in the winter.

The country reported 54,328 new COVID-19 infections, including 58 from overseas, bringing the total to 26,145,764, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The latest tally is up from 40,903 a week ago and 37,312 two weeks ago, according to the authorities.

The country added 46 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 29,617. The number of critically ill patients stood at 371, up from 345 a day earlier, the KDCA said.

Last week, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the number of daily infections could reach up to 200,000 cases in the winter due to the possible outbreaks of new COVID-19 variants.

The government has recently expanded booster shots against omicron variants to all people aged over 18 amid concerns about the risks of a simultaneous outbreak of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu. (Yonhap)

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)