South Korea’s New Cases Continue Weekly Decline As Virus Slows Down

South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases continued their downward trend Tuesday as the spread of the coronavirus has markedly slowed down in recent months.

The country reported 11,880 new infection cases, including 25 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,445,775, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The figure fell from 14,368 cases a week earlier and from 16,112 two weeks earlier. In the past three months, the daily caseload for a Tuesday peaked at 87,528 on Dec. 20.

The infection numbers have been falling despite worries that the removal of the indoor mask mandate late last month could cause an uptick in viral infections.

The numbers of serious cases and deaths also have been on the decline.

The KDCA reported eight deaths from COVID-19, with the number falling to the single digits for four consecutive months. The death toll amounted to 33,873. The number of critically ill patients came to 195, down from 197 a day ago.

Health authorities, however, have recommended the elderly and people with weak immune systems get booster shots for protection.