SEOUL– South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases surpassed 300,000 for the first time Wednesday while voters went to the polls to pick a new president amid the fast spread of the omicron wave.
The country reported a record high of 342,446 new COVID-19 infections, including 342,388 local cases, raising the total caseload to 5,212,118, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The tally jumped from the 202,721 reported Tuesday.
Daily infections exceeded the 300,000 mark just a week after topping 200,000. The previous record high was the 266,847 reported Friday. The accumulated virus cases also surpassed 5 million.
The surge in virus cases raised the number of COVID-19 deaths and critically ill patients.
The country added 158 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the total deaths to 9,440, according to the KDCA. The fatality rate was 0.18 percent.
The number of seriously ill virus patients came to 1,087, up from the previous day’s 1,007.
Health authorities earlier forecast the current omicron wave will likely peak at some 354,000 on March 12, but given the current trend, the virus appears to be spreading at a faster pace.
South Koreans are voting Wednesday to pick a new president in the midst of the upsurge in COVID-19 cases.
Virus patients and those in quarantine are allowed to vote from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. after regular voting closes.
The state election watchdog has decided to permit them to directly put their votes into ballot boxes, as the collection of their votes in unofficial containers during last week’s early voting sparked complaints of foul play.
Source: Yonhap News Agency