The government is seeking to revamp COVID-19 antivirus measures for increased effectiveness, taking into account the possibility of the omicron variant becoming the dominant strain.

At a COVID-19 meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum called for a system overhaul, to keep pace with omicron's rapid expansion. The number of people infected with the variant has reached two-thousand-300 over the past month and a half.

Senior health ministry official Lee Gi-il said immigration control for overseas travelers will be enhanced, while epidemiological studies will focus on groups at higher risk for transmission.

Officials are also looking to prioritize those with serious symptoms for PCR testing.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 pills developed by Pfizer are scheduled to arrive next week. The government earlier signed agreements to bring in 762-thousand courses of the Pfizer pill and 242-thousand courses of Merck’s.