▲ This photo taken on Feb. 1, 2022, shows people in line to take a coronavirus test at a makeshift testing center in Songpa, eastern Seoul. (Yonhap)

coronavirus-additional cases

New cases top 20,000 for 1st time amid raging omicron spread

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily virus cases on Wednesday exceeded 20,000 for the first time since the country reported its first virus case two years ago, due to the fast spread of the omicron variant.

The country reported 20,270 new COVID-19 infections, including 20,111 local cases, raising the total to 884,310, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The death toll from COVID-19 came to 6,787, up 15 from Tuesday. The fatality rate was 0.77 percent.

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was 278, up six from a day earlier.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]