<Anchor> The



number of new COVID-19 cases is gradually decreasing to 200,000 for the second day.

However, there are still more than 1,000 critically ill patients.



Reporter Jeong Da-eun went out from the screening clinic.



<Reporter>



A screening clinic in Mok-dong, Seoul.



Inspectors are significantly reduced, and noticeably sluggish.




Yesterday (1st), the number of screening clinics tested was 269,000, down more than 76,000 from a week ago.



The number of new confirmed cases also decreased by 16,000 to 264,000.



Compared to 380,000 two weeks ago and 330,000 a week ago, the decrease is clear.



[Kwon Deok-cheol/Minister of Health and Welfare (briefing on the 1st): The prevalence of Omicron has been on a downward trend since peaking two weeks ago.

However, the trend of decline is modest, and there is a possibility that the number of cases of gastritis and death is still increasing.]



Although the number of patients with severe cases decreased by 134 from the previous day, it was 1,165, which is still around 1,000.



There were also 339 deaths per day.



Of these, two were under the age of 10, and the cumulative number of infant deaths increased to 13.



The primary vaccination rate for children aged 5-11, which started last Thursday, is 0.4%, and the advance reservation rate is 1.6%.



The quarantine authorities urged high-risk groups such as diabetes, obesity, lung, heart, and kidney diseases, even if they were 5 to 11 years old, to complete two doses of vaccination even if they contracted Corona.



Next week, an additional 222,000 doses of Pfizer's oral treatment Paxrovid will be introduced.



As of yesterday, 156,000 servings were used for Pax Lovid, leaving 96,000 servings, and 3,000 servings for Laguebrio, leaving 97,000 servings.



The quarantine authorities said they would secure enough food to eat and actively use them to reduce the number of severe cases and deaths.



(Video coverage: Lim Dong-guk, video editing: Kim Jun-hee)