coronavirus-additional cases

S. Korea's new infections fall below 50,000 amid lifting of mask mandate

SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 50,000 on Wednesday as the government has lifted the outdoor mask mandate in the latest effort to return to pre-pandemic normalcy amid a downward trend in COVID-19 cases.

The country reported 49,064 new COVID-19 infections, including 29 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,395,791, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The country added 72 COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, bringing the total to 23,079, the KDCA said. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent.

The number of critically ill patients came to 432, slightly up from 417 a day earlier.

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