World News: S.Korea’s daily Covid-19 count tops 90000 – Gulf Digital News

World News: S.Korea’s daily Covid-19 count tops 90000 – Gulf Digital News

SEOUL: South Korea's daily count of new coronavirus cases topped 90,000 for the first time, driven to a record by the fast-spreading Omicron variant that has seen daily tallies nearly double in just a week.

The 90,443 cases reported for Tuesday represent a drastic surge from the 57,177 recorded by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) a day before.

The surge has seen the virus spread through Korean business and society, and the country's men's basketball league on Wednesday halted its season as dozens of players tested positive for Covid-19.

Total infections in the country since the pandemic began rose to 1,552,851, but deaths remain comparatively low, with 39 fatalities on Tuesday and a total of 7,202 so far.

The Korean Basketball League (KBL) suspension came after the halt of the women's professional baseball league last week.

The KBL had pressed on despite some previous infections among players and staff members, but it finally cancelled all planned matches this week after three teams reported more than 10 cases each. Some players openly criticised the league organisers for failing to protect athletes and their families.

South Korea, with a 52 million population, has largely been a Covid-19 mitigation success story, thanks mainly to widespread