A medical worker talks to a visitor at a COVID-19 testing station in a community health center in Seoul's western district of Mapo last Wednesday. (Yonhap)

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases were below 30,000 for the second straight day Friday, as the virus wave continued to show signs of slowing down.

The country reported 22,298 new COVID-19 infections, including 54 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,933,756, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Friday's count is down from 28,648 cases a day earlier and lower than the weekly average of 23,538, showing that the virus wave has subsided since it peaked at over 180,000 cases a day in mid-August.

The KDCA reported 41 deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the death toll to 28,614.

The number of critically ill patients came to 329, up four from the previous day.

This month, South Korea removed the COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing requirement for inbound travelers within 24 hours of arrival in a further relaxation of virus measures. Late last month, the government lifted all outdoor mask mandates.

An indoor mask mandate remains in place, amid concerns over a possible outbreak of a "twindemic" of COVID-19 and the seasonal influenza this winter. (Yonhap)