205,000 Covid-19 cases reported as daily totals rapidly drop

People visit a public clinic in Daejeon for a Covid-19 test. From April 11, rapid antigen test won't be offered at these public clinics, and only PCR tests will be given. [KIM SEONG-TAE]

Korea reported 205,333 daily Covid-19 infections on Friday, bringing the number of consecutive days under 300,000 to four as the latest wave of the pandemic begins to rapidly weaken.

The number of accumulated cases is set to break 15 million on Saturday.

On Friday, 1,093 Covid-19 patients were in critical condition, while authorities reported 373 deaths from the disease.

With the number of new infections fast declining, the Korean government said it will stop offering rapid antigen tests at public health centers and clinics from April 11, instead focusing on PCR tests for people categorized as potential high-risk patients, including those over 59.

Private medical clinics and health centers will continue to offer rapid antigen tests.

The government is now reviewing the possibility of reclassifying Covid-19 to reflect the decline in the danger of the disease. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum in a Covid-19 response meeting Friday said the government will take opinions from experts on the issue and make a decision soon.

The virus is currently a Class-1 infectious disease on the government's four-tier classification system. It may be downgraded by one notch to Class-2. This could mean the end of the 7-day quarantine for those infected, or a shorter quarantine.

"It looks like the Omicron wave has hit the peak, and from now on, we are checking if the medical resources we have secured are properly used to keep the quarantine system sustainable and to make it less burdensome on society," he said. "But the number of infections of those over 59 continues to rise, and the number of critically-ill patients remains over 1,000."

BY LEE SUN-MIN [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]