(ATTN: UPDATES with 9pm case count in paragraphs 8-9)
SEOUL, June 11 (Yonhap) — The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea remained below 10,000 for the second straight day on Saturday, as the country plans to ease virus restrictions for restore pre-pandemic normalcy.
The country added 8,422 new infections, including 64 cases from overseas, bringing the total number of cases to 18,200,346, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
Saturday’s figure was down from 9,315 the previous day.
The country added 10 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 24,351. The fatality rate stood at 0.13%.
The number of seriously ill patients stands at 101.
As of Saturday, 44.6 million people, or 86.9% of the population, had completed full two-dose vaccinations and 33.33 million had received their first booster shots.
A total of 4.25 million people, or 8.3 percent of the population, received their second booster shot, the KDCA said.
As of 9 p.m., local governments had reported 7,097 additional cases of COVID-19, down 1,001 from the same time Friday.
Daily cases are counted until midnight and announced the next morning.
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration pledged to devise “scientific” quarantine measures based on data and analysis to better respond to the protracted virus situation.
The KDCA has conducted expert reviews on the impact of lifting the mandatory seven-day self-isolation period for COVID-19 patients and is expected to make a decision next week.
The agency also plans to assess the pandemic trend and other factors to decide whether to expand the inoculation of a second COVID-19 booster, currently reserved for the elderly population and those in people’s care hospitals. elderly.
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