The country will shift to an omicron-tailored response system if daily COVID-19 infections average around seven-thousand.

Senior health ministry official Son Young-rae on Thursday explained that should daily numbers hover around seven-thousand, the government will announce the details of the new response system before its launch.

This is a step back from the government's previous announcement, in which it said the system would be enforced immediately after seeing seven-thousand new infections a day.

Assuring the public that the medical system is capable of effectively managing over seven-thousand COVID-19 cases a day, Son said medical operations will also gradually shift to an omicron-tailored system in the coming weeks.

Under the omicron response system, COVID-19 testing and treatment will move from government-designated hospitals to local clinics.