South Korea logs 335,580 new COVID-19 cases, 323 deaths

South Korea added 335,580 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 11,497,711, with the daily death toll standing at 323, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

In a statement carried by Yonhap news agency, the KDCA said that South Korea is experiencing the worst wave of the pandemic, surpassing the grim milestone of 10 million total infections earlier this week.

The government has shifted away from rigorous contact tracing, and relaxed some virus restrictions for private gatherings and schools in efforts to regain normalcy and support small businesses and self-employed people hit hard by the pandemic.

Starting Saturday, health authorities will administer MSD’s oral pill, Lagevrio, for patients with underlying illnesses or symptoms that forbid them from taking Paxlovid or other treatment pills.

Moreover, the KDCA noted that the number of fully vaccinated people rose to 44.47 million, representing 86.7 percent of the population