Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Thursday that the government will be proactive in drafting forthcoming COVID-19-related measures to help rapidly overcome the pandemic and return to normal routines. 

Kim made the remark on Thursday while attending a meeting of experts to discuss responses to the omicron variant, saying the nation is approaching in era of living with COVID-19 as an endemic. 

He stressed the need to vigorously ahead so the public will be able to resume their day-to-day routines, saying discussions regarding such a transition is already in full swing in other countries. 

Kim said although the average daily number of COVID-19 cases jumped 17-fold from the end of last year, the number of critically ill patients remains comparatively stable, adding the ICU occupancy rate for critical cases nationwide remained below 40 percent. 

The prime minister credited the current manageable ratio to previous proactive measures, such as introducing swift antigen tests and adopting clinic-led treatment systems for mild cases. Kim pledged other proactive efforts to speed up the normalization process.