(LEAD) S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 90,000

(ATTN: ADDS latest tally in para 6)

SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 90,000 on Thursday, cooling from the steep rise earlier in the week but continuing the worrisome uptrend weighing on efforts to restore normalcy.

The country added 88,384 new COVID-19 infections, including 425 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 19,535,242, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The latest tally is down from the previous day's 100,285, the highest in about three months, as a new wave of an omicron variant has hit the country, with the pace of the transmission quickening amid the summer holiday season and eased virus curbs.

The death toll from COVID-19 stood at 24,957, up by 25 from Wednesday.

The number of critically ill patients rose by 19 to 196.

As of 9 p.m. Thursday, the country had reported 83,140 additional cases, down 2,394 from the same time Wednesday. Daily cases are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.

Despite the virus resurgence, health authorities ruled out a rollback of the antivirus restrictions, like tight social distancing and business hour curfews, and the stance toward the post-pandemic recovery will be maintained.

elly@yna.co.kr
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