Authorities Estimate Significant Number of Domestic COVID-19 Cases Recovered Unaware of Infection

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] The quarantine authorities expect that a significant number of hidden infections will be revealed when conducting antibody tests for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). It is estimated that a considerable portion of the population has recovered without even knowing they were infected.

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing held on the 1st at the Osong Disease Control Headquarters in Chungbuk, "We are planning an immunity survey to confirm antibody positivity among the general population," indicating this expectation.

The quarantine authorities plan to conduct a population immunity survey to understand how much COVID-19 has spread and transmitted domestically.

The population immunity survey is conducted to determine how many people have developed immunity after contracting infectious diseases like COVID-19. It is evaluated based on how many people have formed antibodies that neutralize the virus.

Head Jung said, "We are planning tests linked with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and another plan is to conduct antibody tests focused on regions such as Daegu and Gyeongbuk, which were declared special disaster areas and experienced community infections."

She added, "We predict that there are a significant number of infected individuals we have not detected," explaining, "This is due to the characteristics of COVID-19, where many cases are mild or asymptomatic."

She further noted, "This is not only a problem unique to our country but a global situation," adding, "According to antibody test results announced in other countries, there have been cases where the number of infected individuals was more than 50 times higher than confirmed patients."

Head Jung stated, "Since it is possible that infections occurred and immunity was acquired without being recognized in the confirmed testing system, the number is likely higher than the identified confirmed cases," and added, "We will provide accurate interpretation, evaluation, and countermeasures after reviewing the test results regarding how large the gap is and how high the positivity rate might be."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.