South Korea has reported over 13,000 new coronavirus cases, marking the highest daily tally since it confirmed its first patient more than 2 years ago.

In recent weeks, local transmissions have surged, fueled by the extremely contagious Omicron variant, which has become dominant in the country.

Rosyn Park has the latest.

[Reporter]
The KDCA and other health authorities had warned for weeks that the global spread of Omicron would eventually hit South Korea.

And now new infections have reached record highs.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said today that from now and moving forward, the main goal of the government's antivirus response will be to reduce critical cases and deaths.

Last month, COVID ICUs were packed at emergency levels, with some patients forced to wait at home until they could be admitted.

But with the expansion of more COVID hospitals, beds and medical personnel, the health system has stabilized.

Experts predict, however, that cases could rise to 30,000 a day in the next few weeks, and authorities fear that means they will see more severe and fatal cases.