S. Korea's daily COVID-19 cases surpass 7,000 for 1st time: PM

SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases have surpassed 7,000 for the first time, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday, amid concerns over the omicron variant and the rising number of critical virus patients.

"In the capital area, where 80 percent of total cases are reported, we continue to add hospital beds with active cooperation from the medical community, but still it is tough to catch up with the pace of rising virus cases," Kim said at the government's COVID-19 response meeting.

The country's average daily number of coronavirus cases stayed in the 5,000s over the past week.

kdon@yna.co.kr
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