FIRST DEATH LINKED TO OMICRON VARIANT

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea has reported first deaths linked to the highly contagious Omicron variant. They were nursing hospital patients in their 90s with underlying illnesses. The government is pledging to overhaul the pandemic response system, predicting the nation will soon face an Omicron crisis.

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A patient at a nursing hospital was confirmed to be the nation’s first Omicron-related death. The nursing hospital in Gwangju has reported 21 more cases since December 24 after a care worker tested positive. Of them, a patient in her 90s died on December 27. She was posthumously found to have been infected with Omicron. Another patient, also in her 90s, was suspected to have died after getting infected with the new variant.

[Soundbite] Park Young-joon(Central Disease Control HQs) : "As it is spreading rapidly across communities, rare cases of death can be reported among groups at higher risk."

As Omicron is predicted to become a dominant variant in one or two months, health authorities worry that vulnerable groups at high-risk facilities will most likely be hit hard.

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-won(Central Disease Control HQs) : "The top priority in diagnosis and epidemiological investigations is to locate those who have come into close contact with infected people and risk developing serious complications."

Vaccinated people are also not safe from Omicron, since more than half of Korea's Omicron cases were breakthrough infections. The government announced it will devise new anti-virus strategies without adhering to existing practices and rules.

[Soundbite] Kim Boo-kyum(Prime Minister) : "We will work to exactly identify what Omicron is and what its repercussions are. We will also devise measures to carry out epidemiological investigations, tests and treatment more swiftly."

Attention is being drawn to what new anti virus measures will be unveiled to cope with Omicron. The government is known to be moving to increase antigen tests as well as PCR tests in preparation for surging demand. It is also reviewing allowing more clinics to treat COVID-19 patients who have mild symptoms and receive at-home care services.