The government has assessed that it would be difficult to form herd immunity against COVID-19, indicating instead that society may simply adapt to it.

Senior health ministry official Son Young-rae said on Wednesday that authorities project the country and the world will undergo a transition to living with COVID-19, rather than witnessing a complete end to the virus.

Son, who appeared on a local radio program on Tuesday, had said that the nation has reached a significant level of herd immunity through vaccination and transmission of the omicron variant.

Referring to the remark, the official said while the possibility for another major wave appears significantly lower, small-scale outbreaks involving new variants or seasonal factors could repeatedly occur in the future.

As current social distancing rules are set to expire after Sunday, the government is expected to announce a set of revised regulations on Friday, including a post-omicron response system.