Daily COVID-19 cases stayed in the 200-thousands for a fourth day, with the total caseload approaching 15 million, or 30 percent of the population.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Friday that 205-thousand-333 infections were reported throughout the previous day, including 31 from overseas.

The total caseload came to 14 million-983-thousand-694. The figure is likely to surpass 15 million on Friday, 809 days after the nation reported its first confirmed case on January 20 in 2020.

The daily tally dropped by about 20-thousand from a day ago. It decreased by 75-thousand from a week ago and 134-thousand from two weeks ago, indicating a clear decline of the omicron wave.

The number of critically ill patients dropped by 23 to one-thousand-93, falling below eleven-hundred for the first time since Saturday.

The number of deaths, however, remains high with 373 deaths reported in the past 24 hours.

The death toll rose to 18-thousand-754, with the fatality rate rising to zero-point-13 percent.

The occupancy rate of ICU beds for critically ill patients nationwide fell to 57-point-seven percent.

The number of home-treatment patients stands at around one-point-26 million as of Friday, down 46-thousand from a day ago.