New Daily COVID Cases Soar Above 30,000

New daily COVID infections reached 37,360 on Tuesday morning, just a day after surpassing 30,000 for the first time in about eight weeks.

The number of people who tested positive was 2.1 times more than a week earlier and 3.8 times more than two weeks ago. In other words, new infections have been doubling every week.

The current surge far exceeds government forecasts, which did not expect them to rise again until this fall. But the rapid spread of the BA.5 Omicron subvariant is riding on waning vaccine immunity as uptake for second boosters remains low.

Cases are rising especially among the elderly, many of whom have not yet had their fourth jab.

The government is contemplating a fresh vaccination drive, with widely publicized goals for certain age groups as Koreans seem to be skeptical about COVID vaccines and are more worried about their side effects.

Only 31.8 percent of over-60s have had a second booster shot, although the rate of first booster vaccination has reached some 90 percent among the over-60s, 80 percent among 50-somethings, and 50 to 60 percent among those in their 20s through 40s.