The rate at which COVID-19 deteriorates a patient’s health to seriously ill in South Korea has been found to be lower than those of six other countries but is, nonetheless, on an upward trend.  

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) shared its analysis on Wednesday, based on numbers of critical cases reported in South Korea, France, the U.S., Germany, Canada, Japan and the U.K since the proliferation of omicron.  

South Korea reported six-point-zero critical cases per one million people from February 8 to 14. In comparison, France had 49 such cases, the U.S. 46-point-three, Germany 29-point-five, Canada 23-point-seven, Japan 14-point-six and the U.K. six-point-one.

During a Wednesday briefing, KDCA spokesperson Ko Jae-young explained that Korea has been able to maintain the level of seriously ill patients thanks to the country's high level of medical care and the dedication of medical staff. Ko said the high vaccination rate in Korea has also contributed to keeping the ratio of critical cases low. 

Amid the rapid transmission of omicron, however, the number of critically ill patients may rise down the road.  

Ko underlined the necessity of continued monitoring of the rapidly changing situation to forecast when the pandemic will reach its peak and how extensive it will be. 

He added that authorities stand ready to quickly respond, noting that critical cases and deaths have begun to rise again, in line with the recent surge in infections.