SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea set a new record for Covid-19 deaths on Thursday as officials warned that the highly transmissible Omicron variant could soon become the dominant strain.
In recent weeks, South Korea has been grappling with soaring infections and deaths after it significantly relaxed restrictions in early November as part of efforts to return to pre-pandemic normalcy.
The agency said that additional 6,919 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the national caseload to 589,978. It said authorities have also confirmed 12 more cases of the Omicron variant, pushing the total to 246. Senior health official Lee Sang-won said earlier this week that it’s possible the Omicron variant would become the dominant strain in South Korea within one or two months. Jaehun Jung, a professor at Gachon University College of Medicine in South Korea, also said that “a meaningful [level] of infections caused by Omicron could occur in our country in February or March.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
South Border members reunite in MPBL finalsAfter seven years and amid pandemic, Luke Mejares, Duncan Ramos, Jay Durias, and the rest of South Border were reunited anew on one stage.
Read more »
Pagasa Island in South China Sea suffers typhoon damageTyphoon Odette also damaged dozens of homes and government infrastructure on the Philippines' biggest, strategically most important outpost in the South China Sea, including a newly built coast guard station.
Read more »
Epicenter of omicron outbreak passes peak: scientistsWhile more study was needed, data from South Africa — whose experience is being closely watched — told a ‘positive story’ about omicron's severity.
Read more »
South Border members reunite in MPBL finalsAfter seven years and amid pandemic, Luke Mejares, Duncan Ramos, Jay Durias, and the rest of South Border were reunited anew on one stage.
Read more »
More contagious, less severe: What we know about OmicronA month after it was first detected in southern Africa, Omicron is now known to be far more contagious than previous variants of Covid-19 but appears to cause a less severe illness than its predecessors.
Read more »
Omicron wave forces Lufthansa to axe 33,000 flightsGerman national carrier Lufthansa will cut its winter flight plan by 'around 10 percent' as the spread of the Omicron variant fuels uncertainty about travel, chief executive Carsten Spohr said Thursday.
Read more »