▲ University students enjoy a music festival at Korea University in Seoul on May 24, 2022. (Yonhap)

coronavirus-additional cases

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases in 20,000s for 2nd day amid receding omicron wave

SEOUL, May 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed in the 20,000s for the second consecutive day Wednesday, down nearly 7,400 cases from a week ago, as the COVID-19 pandemic is in retreat.

The country added 23,956 new infections, including 21 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,017,923, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The daily tally fell to a 16-week low for a Wednesday and declined 23.5 percent from a week earlier, in an apparent sign of the pandemic slowing down.

South Korea's daily caseload peaked at over 621,000 on March 17, driven by the rapid spread of the omicron variant nationwide.

The country added 23 deaths from COVID-19, taking the total to 24,029. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent. The number of critically ill patients stood at 237, the KDCA said.

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