SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea has set a record for daily COVID-19 cases at 2,434, breaking the previous record set last month here, as the country grapples with a wave of infections that began in early July, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Friday.

The mortality rate and severe cases remain relatively low and steady at 0.82% and 309, respectively, helped largely by vaccinations that prioritised older people at high risk of severe COVID-19, KDCA said when reporting figures for Thursday.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stressed the need for virus-prevention rules to be stricter as adherence could have been lax during this week’s three-day holiday.

“If prevention measures are not managed stably, the gradual recovery to normal life will inevitably be delayed,” Kim told Friday’s COVID-19 response meeting.

Authorities have advised people returning from holiday to be tested even for the mildest COVID-19-type symptoms, especially before going to work.

Thursday’s new cases brings total infections to 295,132, with 2,434 deaths.

South Korea has given 72.3% of its 52 million population at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine through Thursday, and has fully inoculated nearly 44%.

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