South Korean was preparing for ending COVID restrictions despite reporting 621,328 new daily COVID-19 infections and a record high of 429 deaths in a day.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said that the current wave has been stronger than expected and the increase in fresh cases was due to the highly infectious Omicron variant which would infect many but severe health issues would be less. The KDCA further stated that 63% of the country’s population had received booster shots and 86.6% were fully vaccinated.

Despite the surge, no sign of rethinking plans to lift COVID restrictions was shown by the government. Use of masks is mandatory in all public indoor and outdoor spaces. 

A health ministry official said that no deaths were reported among people under 60 who had received a booster shot in the analysis of around 141,000 Omicron cases reported in the country over the past year and hence, COVID could be treated like the seasonal flu. (Reuters March 17, 2022)