Residents of southern Seoul brace the cold to get tested for COVID-19. (Photo: Yonhap)
South Korean health authorities reported a decline in new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, continuing a downward trend since the fourth wave of the pandemic peaked in late September.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 1,441 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours along with 11 more virus-related deaths.
The daily caseload was down 130 from Wednesday.
The country has so far recorded 347,529 cases and 2,709 deaths since reporting its first outbreak in January 2020.
Officials attributed the latest decline in new infections to the accelerating rate of COVID-19 vaccinations nationwide.
More than 67 percent of South Korea's 52 million population has been fully vaccinated, while 79 percent of people have received their first shots, according to the KDCA.
The country is expected to hit the target of 70 percent fully vaccinated by the end of the month.
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