coronavirus-additional cases

coronavirus-additional cases

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to 30,000s amid eased virus curbs

SEOUL, May 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell Thursday after staying above 40,000 for two days amid the government's effort to move the country back to pre-pandemic normalcy.

The country added 35,906 new COVID-19 infections, including 12 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,694,677, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The tally decreased from 43,925 on Wednesday and was down from 42,289 a week ago.

The public health agency reported 63 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total to 23,554, the KDCA said.

The number of critically ill patients came to 354, down 29 from a day earlier.

South Korea's new daily infections have been on a downward trend in recent weeks after peaking at over 620,000 on March 17 amid the spread of the omicron variant.

The government eased the outdoor mask mandate on May 2, except for large gatherings of 50 or more, as it is moving toward a return to normalcy. The indoor mask mandate remains in effect.

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