Government Urges Caution Over Increase in Small-Scale COVID-19 Infections

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] The government has once again urged caution as small-scale infections of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been increasing recently.

Park Neung-hoo, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) and Minister of Health and Welfare, stated at a briefing held at the Government Seoul Office on the 28th, "While large-scale cluster infections in major facilities are being controlled, cases of spread through small-scale facilities and small gatherings, which are difficult for quarantine authorities to manage, are increasing."

He expressed concern, saying, "There is a worrisome trend of infections spreading nationwide beyond the metropolitan area to regions such as Chungcheong and Honam. As the number of confirmed cases among the elderly increases, the risk of severe patients also grows."

According to the CDSCH, the daily average number of new confirmed cases in the country from the 14th to the 27th was 43.1. This is a slight decrease compared to the previous two weeks (May 31 to June 13), which was 43.5. The daily average number of new confirmed cases occurring in the community over the past two weeks was 28.9, down by 8.7 from 37.6 in the previous two weeks. In the metropolitan area including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, the daily average number of new confirmed cases was 22.1, a decrease of 14.4 from 36.5 previously.

On the other hand, cluster infection cases increased from 11 to 14, and the proportion of confirmed cases with unclear infection routes rose from 8.9% to 10%. The CDSCH analyzed, "This is because cases of spread through small gatherings are increasing, leading to more cluster infections and patients with unclear infection routes."

The increase in imported confirmed cases was distinct. The daily average number of imported confirmed cases over the recent two weeks was 14.2, which is 1.7 times higher than the previous period (8.3). Deputy Head Park explained, "All imported cases are detected during quarantine or isolation processes," adding, "Since there have been no cases causing secondary or further transmission in the community, the risk of infection spread is considered low."

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