The occupancy rate of ICU beds for critically ill COVID-19 patients continues to remain high as daily infections hover above seven thousand.

According to the health ministry, 81 percent of critical care beds were taken nationwide as of 5 p.m. Friday, slightly down from 81-point-nine percent the previous day.

The percentage in the capital area is higher, at 85-point-seven, which is also down from 87 the previous day. Only 120 ICU beds remain empty in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, and 247 nationwide.

The government sees occupancy of over 75 percent as a red flag.

On Saturday, South Korea reported a new high in critical COVID-19 cases at one-thousand-16. 

In the capital area, nearly 980 patients are waiting to be assigned a bed at a hospital or treatment center.

Across the country, over 31-thousand people are being treated at home.