WHO Reports 547,429 New COVID-19 Cases on the 18th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced that since mid-November, there have been 500,000 to 600,000 new cases daily worldwide.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), on the 18th, there were 547,429 new confirmed cases, which is 6.4 times and 2.5 times higher than the figures on May 1 (85,000 cases) and September 1 (214,000 cases), respectively.

On the same day, according to Johns Hopkins University data, the United States, the country most affected by COVID-19, reported 170,000 new daily cases, and even by WHO standards, 130,000 cases, indicating a rapid resurgence.

In this regard, CNN reported, "In 44 states, new cases in the past week increased by more than 10% compared to the previous week, with only Hawaii showing a decrease."

In Europe, where major countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Italy are implementing re-lockdown policies until early next month, the spread of COVID-19 is slowing down. WHO analyzed that the average number of confirmed cases across Europe over the past week was 1.8 million, a 10% decrease from the previous 2 million.

However, deaths have rather increased. In fact, the healthcare systems of European countries are collapsing.

Especially in Italy, the death rate is 3.8 deaths per 100 confirmed cases, ranking third highest in the world after Mexico (9.8) and Iran (5.4). Critical patients are being forced to receive home treatment, and even oxygen tanks are in short supply, leading the government to request assistance from private medical organizations operating in conflict zones.

Meanwhile, Japan reported 2,388 new cases yesterday, setting a new daily record. Media reports indicate that some regions are running out of capacity to admit patients in medical institutions.

In South Korea, as of midnight today, there were 363 new confirmed cases, marking the third consecutive day with cases in the 300s. The quarantine authorities announced yesterday that the reproduction number (R), which indicates how many people one infected person infects, exceeded 1.5 nationwide. If it is below 1, new cases decrease, but if it exceeds 1, it signals a red alert for quarantine management, and cases continue to rise.

There are concerns that daily COVID-19 cases could exceed 1,000 within a month.

Current trends show infections spreading not only in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area but nationwide, with cases surging in various places. At times like this, proactive specimen testing based on the infectious disease response principle of "early detection, early containment" is crucial.

Gangnam-gu has conducted specimen testing based on this principle since the early stages of the outbreak, resulting in over 80,000 tests as of the day before yesterday. It took only 18 days from surpassing 70,000 tests on the 1st of this month for 10,000 people to be tested at the Gangnam-gu Public Health Center, indicating a serious domestic spread.

Confirmed Cases Status

With 10 additional cases yesterday and today, the cumulative confirmed cases total 420.

Cases 413 to 418 (6 people) tested positive at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center after contact with confirmed cases from other regions. Case 412 was confirmed at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center with symptoms such as headache, and case 420 was confirmed at Seocho-gu Public Health Center with fever symptoms; however, their infection routes are unknown and epidemiological investigations are ongoing.

Case 411 was confirmed at Dongdaemun-gu Public Health Center after contact with a confirmed case from another region, and case 419 was a family member of a previously confirmed Gangnam resident, confirmed at Gangnam Severance Hospital and transferred to Gangnam-gu Public Health Center.

Meanwhile, visitors to units 452 and 453 of Seolleung Daerim Acrotel (524 Seolleung-ro), Samsung-dong, where a cluster infection occurred from the 5th to the 17th of this month, are requested to visit Gangnam-gu Public Health Center for specimen testing as soon as possible.

Status of Self-Quarantined Individuals

As of the 20th, Gangnam-gu manages 991 self-quarantined individuals, including 722 overseas arrivals and 269 domestic contacts.

Number of Specimen Tests

The cumulative number of specimen tests at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center screening clinics is 80,478. Among the 626 tested the day before yesterday, 75 were overseas arrivals and 551 were domestic residents.

According to the National Clinical Trial Support Foundation, 41% (44 cases) of COVID-19 vaccines currently under development worldwide are in phase 3 clinical trials.

Recently, Moderna, a U.S. pharmaceutical company, announced interim results showing a 94.5% efficacy rate for its vaccine, followed by Pfizer, which revealed that the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed with Germany's BioNTech has an immune efficacy of 95%, attracting attention.

South Korea is also making progress in developing domestic vaccines and treatments. President Moon Jae-in stated, "Antibody treatments and plasma therapies could be available on the market as early as the end of this year," and the government plans to secure vaccines for 30 million people next year, raising expectations.

Nevertheless, strictly adhering to personal hygiene and quarantine rules remains the most important and fundamental measure. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun emphasized in a national address that "considerable time is needed before vaccines are actually administered," and "until then, strict compliance with quarantine rules is the only preventive measure."

Additionally, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters decided to apply health insurance coverage to tests that simultaneously diagnose COVID-19 and influenza to prepare for a "twindemic," where two or more infectious diseases spread simultaneously.

Since there is no out-of-pocket cost and the infection status of COVID-19 and influenza can be determined within 3 to 6 hours with a single test, patient waiting times are expected to decrease and treatment will be faster.

District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun stated, "Gangnam-gu will hold the 'Gangnam Interior Design Week' from today until the 28th at 37 stores in the Nonhyeon-dong furniture street area to revitalize the commercial district depressed by COVID-19 and to energize residents exhausted by the prolonged pandemic. Residents can not only see works by famous furniture designers but also purchase some brand products at discounted prices through 'live commerce' broadcasts. We ask for the interest and support of all residents."

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