Coronavirus: from South Korea to Singapore, Omicron-fuelled wave pushes cases to record highs
- South Korea and Singapore’s daily new Covid-19 infections surged to 90,443 and 19,179, respectively
- Meanwhile, Japan saw its deadliest day of the pandemic, even as infections continued their downward trend
Major Asian economies, including South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia, have seen a rapid increase in coronavirus cases as the highly infectious Omicron variant continues to tear through the region.
Deaths remain comparatively low, though, with 39 fatalities on Tuesday and a total of 7,202 so far, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
South Korea has largely been a Covid-19 mitigation success story, thanks mainly to widespread wearing of masks, social distancing and aggressive testing and tracing.
But authorities have shifted testing and tracing policy, in line with the less fatal Omicron variant’s spread, toward self-monitoring and diagnosis and at-home treatment starting this month.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the government was considering easing the current strict distancing curbs which include a 9pm curfew for restaurants, cafes and bars, and a ban on gatherings of more than six vaccinated people.