On Thursday, South Korea's daily coronavirus case count reached a new high, as authorities suspended quarantine exemptions for fully vaccinated inbound tourists for two weeks in an effort to ward off the Omicron strain.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 5,266 cases on Wednesday, a day after the daily total surpassed 5,000 for the first time because of worries over a dramatic increase in patients with severe symptoms.
On Thursday, the nation added 47 more deaths to the toll from COVID-19, bringing the total to 3,705. On the same day, the number of critically sick patients reached an all-time high of 733.
The emergence of the Omicron strain has complicated South Korea's efforts to reintroduce normalcy through a gradual relaxation of virus restrictions under the "living with COVID-19" strategy that began last month.
After four weeks of the first phase, the country intended to further remove virus restrictions in mid-December.
South Korea will mandate a 10-day quarantine for all inbound tourists for two weeks beginning Friday, the KDCA said. This will end previous exemptions for properly vaccinated individuals.
South Korea took the measure after confirming its first five cases of the Omicron type late Wednesday, including a fully vaccinated couple who arrived last week from Nigeria, followed by two of their family members and a friend.
The government has imposed travel restrictions on eight nations, including South Africa, the origin of the strain. Nigeria will now be added to the list, effective Friday, while direct flights from Ethiopia will be suspended beginning Saturday, the KDCA said.
"We're on a difficult road to normalcy recovery, and risks from the new Omicron type are increasing," President Moon Jae-in said Thursday during a meeting with Christian groups.
Although the country has vaccinated roughly 92% of adults and is now focusing on children and a booster program, experts have warned that cases may continue to climb as a result in part of the development of the potentially more transmissible strain.
According to KDCA data, the number of serious cases increased to a record 733, and 90% of critical care unit beds in the greater Seoul area are currently full, with 915 patients waiting to be admitted.
Around 47 additional deaths have been reported, bringing the total to 3,705. The fatality rate overall was 0.81%.
South Korea has vaccinated 42,593,798 people, or 83% of the total population, with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
