Increasing COVID-19 Cases Among 20s and 30s... Concerns Over Sporadic n-th Generation Infections

Increasing COVID-19 Cases Among People in Their 20s at Korea University, Yonsei University, Hanyang University, and Others
49.1% of Confirmed Cases Are Young People Under 40
Health Authorities Urge Public to Recognize the Serious Crisis Situation

Amid the occurrence of 8 confirmed cases of COVID-19 related to the Korea University ice hockey club, a closure notice is posted at the entrance of the Korea University ice rink in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kim Young-eun] As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea continues to rise steadily, recent infections are spreading mainly among younger people under their 40s who are socially active, raising concerns among health authorities and citizens about 'sporadic n-th generation infections.'

On the 15th, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, announced that a total of eight confirmed COVID-19 cases have been identified in connection with the Korea University ice hockey club.

Korea University reported that after the first confirmed case on the 13th, contact testing was conducted and additional positive cases were identified. These individuals were infected during club activities and were found to have used various school facilities, including the on-campus ice rink.

Also on the same day, Hanyang University reported that a student living in the Second Student Dormitory, who used school facilities such as the gymnasium, tested positive, and on the 16th, one teaching assistant and one student at Yonsei University Sinchon Campus were confirmed positive.

Such confirmed cases among people in their 20s and 30s have been occurring steadily recently. According to the Ministry of Education, from the 4th to the 10th, there were 16 new confirmed COVID-19 cases among university students, but this figure does not include recent cases related to Korea University ice hockey club, Hanyang University, Yonsei University, and others.

Additionally, on the 15th, Gwangju city health authorities reported that among 34 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region from the 9th to that day, 25 (73.5%) were in their 20s and 30s. Moreover, among eight confirmed cases in Cheonan on the 12th, five were teenagers, and on the 16th, more than five people in their 20s and 30s were infected at bars and restaurants in Incheon, indicating a continuous occurrence of confirmed cases among younger age groups.

Last August, an access control notice due to a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) was posted at the entrance of the Engineering Building at Yonsei University in Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The proportion of patients aged 40 and under accounts for 50% of all confirmed cases. From the 11th of last month to the 7th of this month, the proportion of confirmed cases aged 40 and under was 49.1%, an increase of 10.8 percentage points compared to a month earlier (September 13 to October 10).

There is great concern because young confirmed cases are socially active and have a wide range of activities, resulting in many contacts, which can lead to the spread of the epidemic through n-th generation infections. During the large-scale cluster infection related to 'Shincheonji' in February and March, many confirmed cases were in their 20s and 30s, and the cluster infection related to the 'Itaewon clubs' in May also mainly occurred among young people.

In response, netizens have expressed reactions such as "Please just raise the social distancing level quickly," "I feel like I'm the only one staying home. Even if I postpone appointments because of COVID-19, now people treat me like I'm overreacting," and "Individual effort is the most important, but it seems to be the least followed."

Regarding this, health authorities and experts say that shared spaces should be frequently ventilated and disinfected, and conversations should be minimized during meals to maintain vigilance.

Jeon Byung-yul, former director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said on the 16th on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Although there are no large-scale cluster infections in specific facilities or places, infections are occurring simultaneously in various facilities and locations. It is necessary to proactively raise the social distancing level to 1.5 to encourage the public to regain vigilance amid their relaxed attitudes."

Also, on the same day, Park Neung-hoo, first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, urged at a regular briefing, "Please recognize the current situation as a serious crisis and earnestly practice quarantine rules everywhere. If we carelessly relax now and fail to regain control of the quarantine network, we will inevitably have to make decisions that greatly affect people's daily lives and livelihoods."

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