GOV'T SHIFTS TO NEW RESPONSE SYSTEM

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The number of new cases surpassed ten-thousand for the second straight day, more than doubling in just a week as the omicron variant became dominant. Health authorities claim that the medical system has enough resources available to respond to the spike, but the spread is so rapid that the situation could turn any moment. The government has, therefore, decided to shift to a new response system earlier than planned.

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The number of new COVID-19 cases reached 14,518 as of Thursday midnight, surpassing the ten-thousand mark for two straight days. As omicron became the dominant strain from a prevailing one, the number of cases has spiked as well. Fourteen out of seventeen major South Korean cities set record highs in case numbers, showing how widespread the latest variant has become. Authorities emphasized the medical system has sufficient response capacity to handle the situation despite the rapid surge. Compared to early December when the delta variant was rampant, the daily tally nearly doubled but the number of serious or critical cases fell by more than half from 840 to 385. Authorities attribute this to fewer cases among the 60-and-older population as the booster vaccination rate among this age group keeps rising and omicron's low severity compared to the delta variant. Still, it's worth noting that a rise in case numbers generally leads to an increase in serious cases one or two weeks later. The government plans to focus on maintaining the medical system to be ready against omicron and minimizing social damage.

[Soundbite] Kim Boo-kyum(Prime Minister) : "The government has been ready against the omicron variant. From now on, the prime objective of disease control measures will be reducing the number of serious cases and deaths."

At an Omicron variant response meeting, President Moon Jae-in asked officials to make sure the supply of quick self-diagnosis kits is not disrupted.