S.KOREA REPORTS 8,571 NEW CASES

[Anchor Lead]

With the spread of omicron, daily COVID-19 cases have topped 8,000. Pandemic response will shift to a omicron-specific system from Wednesday in certain regions including Gwangju and Anseong.

[Pkg]

The record daily tally to date was 7,848 cases recorded on December 15. Monday's infections have surpassed that figure. 8,571 new cases have been recorded on Monday, counting the tally up to 12AM Tuesday. Gyeonggido Province accounts for the largest portion at some 29-hundred cases followed by 17-hundred in Seoul and 670 in Incheon. Omicron became the dominant strain last week taking up 50.3% of all new infections. Given that its spread is twice faster than that of delta, experts expect daily cases to exceed ten-thousand this week. Meanwhile the number of critically ill patients stands at 392, down by 26 from the previous day. 23 more deaths have been reported with the fatality rate at 0.88%. Around 32-thousand patients are being treated at home nationwide while 19% of ICU beds are in use. The government is set to transition to a new omicron medical response system focused on swiftly diagnosing and treating those deemed as high-risk. Starting Wednesday, PCR test rules will change in four regions, Gwangju, Jeollanamdo Province, Pyeongtaek and Anseong, where omicron is highly prevalent. PCR tests will be offered only to high-risk groups including seniors 60 and older and people who came in close contact with an infected person. All others will get a rapid antigen test or use a self-test kit. If those results come out positive, they can then receive a PCR test. Self-isolation period will also be adjusted and applied nationwide. People fully vaccinated and confirmed with the virus can isolate for 7 days. It will remain at 10 days for the unvaccinated who contract the virus. Also, those who come in close contact with a patient are exempt from isolation if they are fully jabbed. Ten-day quarantine for arrivals from overseas will be maintained until Feb. 3.