SEOUL, The number of COVID-19 patients in South Korea decreased for the ninth consecutive week, with seniors taking up nearly 40 percent of the additional cases, data showed Thursday.
The number of additional patients came to 7,483 during the second week of October, down 13 percent from a week earlier, according to the weekly report by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
Among the new cases, seniors aged 60 and above accounted for 38.3 percent, slightly rising from 37.4 percent tallied a week earlier.
The South Korean government downgraded the infection level of COVID-19 to Class 4, the lowest level on par with the seasonal flu, starting Aug. 31.
Since then, the country has operated a sample-based positive test reporting system involving 527 local surveillance organizations, suspending the yearslong full-scale testing system.
Health authorities, meanwhile, started vaccinations using new COVID-19 vaccines for seniors Thursday in order to address new variants. The inoculation of younger citizens will begin next month.
Source: Yonhap News Agency