South Korea’s omicron surge has likely peaked, officials say

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s daily average of new COVID-19 cases declined last week for the first time in more than two months, but the number of critically ill patients and deaths will likely continue to rise amid the omicron-driven outbreak, officials said Monday.

South Korea reported an average of about 350,000 new cases last week, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Monday. It was the first drop in the weekly average in 11 weeks, KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said.

The current outbreak has likely peaked and is expected to trend downward, Jeong said citing expert studies. But new cases in South Korea will likely drop slowly because of relaxed social distancing rules, an expansion of in-person school classes and rising infections due to the coronavirus mutant widely known as “stealth omicron,” she said.

The number of virus patients in serious or critical condition and fatalities are also expected to keep rising for now, Jeong said. Experts say these counts often trail about two weeks behind the evolution of case counts.

Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol separately said the omicron-led outbreak has peaked, though a more thorough analysis is needed to confirm whether the outbreak has shifted into a downward trend.