South Korea COVID-19 cases surge past 600,000 amid eased restrictions

SEOUL, March 17 (UPI) -- South Korea saw its daily COVID-19 cases soar to over 600,000 on Thursday, the highest in the world, as health officials look to continue easing restrictions during a wave driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 621,328 new COVID-19 infections Thursday, surging past the high of 400,000 reached the day before. The country also recorded 429 deaths, another all-time high.

South Korea has seen cases skyrocket since early January, when daily cases first passed 10,000, and authorities have shifted gears to face the far more contagious, but generally less severe, Omicron.

In January, the country moved away from its highly centralized "3T" model -- test, trace and treat -- to a home-care system that looks to preserve hospital bed capacity and limit disruptions to the economy.

Officials have also eased distancing restrictions throughout the Omicron wave, extending business hours for restaurants and bars to 11 p.m. and allowing personal gatherings of up to six people.

The severity of cases has generally remained mild in the highly vaccinated country, with an overall fatality rate of just .14%. Serious cases went down to 1,159 on Thursday from 1,244 the previous day.

However, the 429 deaths reported Thursday more than doubled the previous high, bringing South Korea's overall toll to 11,481.

Health officials said the jump in case counts was partly attributable to a change in recording positive cases from rapid antigen tests.

"We believe the increase came as we began to accept the test kit results from local clinics as confirmed positive, and a substantial number of cases that had been hidden or omitted were added," health ministry official Sohn Young-rae told reporters, according to Yonhap.

The government is expected to announce Friday whether it will maintain the current distancing regulations or further ease restrictions. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Wednesday asked officials to consider reclassifying COVID-19 as a less serious illness, which would allow for more flexibility in responding to the outbreak of mostly mild and asymptomatic cases.

Health officials have previously said that they expect cases to peak sometime this week or next.

South Korea is one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, with 86.6% of people being fully inoculated and 62.8% receiving a booster dose.