S. Korea reports growth in new COVID-19 cases as omicron subvariant spreads

South Korea's new coronavirus cases jumped to over 73,000 Tuesday as a highly contagious omicron subvariant is spreading fast amid eased virus curbs.

Report informs, citing Yonhap, that the country reported 73,582 new COVID-19 infections, including 351 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,861,593, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Tuesday's figure more than doubled from 26,299 cases a day earlier. The daily caseload stood at 40,342 on Sunday and 41,310 on Saturday.

To keep the virus from spreading further, the government recommended fourth COVID-19 vaccine shots for people aged 50 and older as well as people aged 18 and older who have underlying health conditions, starting Monday.

By the end of July, the government plans to expand the number of "one-stop" COVID-19 treatment centers, where people can take virus tests, get in-person medical care services and receive antiviral drugs, to 10,000 from the current 6,338.