Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday that the government will encourage doctors to prescribe COVID-19 treatment pills for high-risk patients on the day their infections are confirmed.

"For high-risk COVID-19 groups, including people aged 60 or older, test, treatment and prescription of medicine will be carried out in one day," Han told a virus response meeting.

The government will also allow high-risk patients to swiftly be admitted to hospitals responsible for COVID-19 treatment, Han said.

South Korea's daily infections have been trending downward since mid-March as the rapid spread of the omicron variant is under control.

Health authorities detected a case of African swine fever in Hongcheon, 102 kilometers east of Seoul, on Thursday. It marked the nation's first case since Oct. 5 last year.

Han instructed officials to make utmost efforts to prevent the animal disease from spreading. (Yonhap)