Korea surpasses 1 million total COVID-19 cases

South Korea surpassed one million cumulative COVID-19 cases Sunday since the pandemic began as health officials reported a daily record of 38,691 new infections driven by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The country saw its first confirmed COVID-19 case Jan. 20, 2020, and soon became the first country outside China to battle a major outbreak. An aggressive strategy of tracking, tracing, masking and quarantining helped South Korea blunt that initial wave and keep overall cases and deaths low without widespread lockdowns, but the spread of the Omicron variant is driving case numbers to new highs. Deaths have remained low in the highly vaccinated country, however, 15 new fatalities were reported Saturday by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.