The government has decided to administer a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot to high-risk groups from the end of the month amid the sharp surge in omicron cases.

Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said on Monday that the second round of booster shots will be offered to immunocompromised people and those in long-term care hospitals or facilities, citing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases among senior citizens aged 60 or older.

Kwon noted that the number of COVID-19 infections has jumped ten times since omicron became the dominant variant three weeks ago, and that daily cases have consistently exceeded 50-thousand in the past several days.

The ratio of those 60 years and above who make up the new cases has also climbed in the three weeks, from 8 percent to 9-point-two percent to 11-point-seven percent.  

The minister said the 60 or older age group has consistently logged daily infection levels of around six-thousand, while the cumulative number of people getting treatment at home surged to roughly 230-thousand.

Kwon also added the government will introduce a one-year extension or deferment on the local tax reporting and payment period. It will defer the collection of such taxes up to one year in an effort to lessen the public’s tax burdens, which have grown amid the prolonged pandemic.