South Korea reports record number of virus cases

South Korea recorded more than 8,000 new coronavirus infections for the first time on Tuesday. With omicron spreading more than twice as fast as the delta strain that caused the last surge, experts say new cases may exceed 10,000 this week and possibly 20,000 after the Lunar New Year’s holiday break.

To prevent a sudden explosion of infections, South Korea will reduce quarantine periods, expand testing and treat more people at home. Fully vaccinated people who come in close contact with virus carriers won't be placed under quarantine. Officials are also planning to treat a larger number of mild or moderate cases at home and expand the use of rapid antigen tests to detect more infections sooner.

Omicron has become the dominant variant in many countries and more easily infects those who have been vaccinated or had COVID-19 previously. As of Tuesday, more than 85% of South Korea's more than 51 million people have been fully vaccinated. More than 49% of the populations have been administered booster shots.