Daily COVID-19 cases remained above 50-thousand for a fifth straight day on Monday amid the rapid spread of the omicron variant.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Monday that 54-thousand-619 infections were confirmed throughout the previous day, including 106 cases from overseas. The total caseload came to one million-405-thousand-246.

The daily tally dropped by some 18-hundred from a day ago due to fewer tests over the weekend, but stayed above 50-thousand for five days in a row. This daily total marks the largest for a Monday.

With the rampant spread of the omicron variant, the number of critically ill patients rose by 18 to 306. The figure climbed back above 300 for the first time in 17 days.
 
With the rise in critical cases, the ICU occupancy rate for COVID-19 patients came to 25-point-seven percent nationwide, as of 5 p.m. Sunday, up three-and-a-half percentage points from a day earlier. 

Twenty-one deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to seven-thousand-102. The fatality rate stands at zero-point-51 percent.