South Korea’s omicron surge has likely peaked, officials say

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says its daily average of new COVID-19 cases declined last week for the first time in more than two months. But health officials said Monday the number of critically ill patients and deaths will likely continue to rise amid the omicron-driven outbreak. South Korea reported an average of about 350,000 new cases last week, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Officials say the current outbreak has likely peaked and is expected to trend downward. On Monday, South Korea reported 187,213 new COVID-19 cases in the latest 24-hour period, marking the first time daily cases have fallen below 200,000 in 25 days.