"Daily COVID-19 Cases Next Week Expected to Reach 600-700 Range"

Gangnam-gu Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Chief Jeong Soon-gyun, Gangnam-gu Mayor, Delivers Health Authority Announcement at COVID-19 Briefing on the 12th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] As of midnight on the 12th, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases was 537, an increase from the previous day when the number had dropped to the 400s for the first time in 41 days, but overall the trend is decreasing.

Looking at the key indicator for adjusting social distancing levels, the average daily number of locally transmitted cases over the past week (5th to 11th) fell to 655.4, moving below the level for Level 3 (800?1000 cases).

The nationwide infection reproduction number (R) also decreased for two consecutive weeks, dropping to 0.88 (January 3?9), with Seoul recording a significant decrease to 0.74 compared to the previous period. The health authorities expect that if this trend continues, the daily number of new cases next week will be in the 600?700 range.

Despite the gradual decline of the ‘third wave,’ the health authorities emphasize that vigilance must not be relaxed, as the proportion of cases with unknown infection routes remains high.

According to Seoul City, the proportion of cases with unknown infection routes over the recent week (3rd to 9th) was 29.4%, approaching 30%. This is higher than during the first wave in March last year (21.3% as of April 1) and the second wave in August?September (16.7% as of September 1), indicating widespread hidden infections in the community.

Additionally, the proportion of confirmed cases aged 65 and older, a high-risk group, decreased slightly from 21.2% to 20.4% during the same period but remains at a high level.

The global spread, which seems to have loosened its reins, continues unabated.

As of the 10th, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases worldwide exceeded 90.08 million according to the international statistics site Worldometer, and 89.04 million according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

This means that approximately 1 in every 88 people out of the global population of 7.83 billion has been infected with COVID-19. The number has increased by over 10 million in just half a month, and it is expected to surpass 100 million within this month.

Notably, 22.91 million cases, accounting for 25% of the total, occurred in the United States, where over 27,000 COVID-19 deaths were reported in the first ten days of the new year.

If this trend continues, the number of deaths by the end of this month is expected to exceed last month’s record high of 77,431 deaths.

The spread caused by variant viruses from the UK and South Africa is also serious. In Japan, where a state of emergency was declared on the 7th, new daily cases have fluctuated between 6,000 and 7,000 for four consecutive days. Germany, which has surpassed 40,000 cumulative COVID-19 deaths, has strengthened restrictions by allowing private gatherings to include only one person outside the household.

Recently, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich analyzed the effectiveness of restrictions taken to prevent COVID-19 spread and found that ‘banning gatherings’ was the most effective measure. Now is the time to live apart and keep distance from each other for ourselves and our communities, with the spirit of ‘Mimiwi Gangnam’?being together, considerate, and respectful.

Residents are reminded that they themselves are the main agents of infection control and are urged to actively comply with government social distancing policies such as the ‘ban on gatherings of five or more people’ at least until the 17th.

Gangnam-gu COVID-19 Case Status

From the afternoon of the 11th to the 12th, confirmed cases numbered 1037 to 1043 were reported in Gangnam-gu. Cases 1038, 1039, 1042, and 1043 are family members of previously confirmed Gangnam-gu residents, and case 1040 was confirmed after contact with a positive Gangnam-gu resident. Case 1041 was confirmed with coughing symptoms, and case 1037 was confirmed without symptoms but with an unknown infection route; an epidemiological investigation is underway.

Status of Self-Quarantined Individuals

Currently, Gangnam-gu manages 1,093 individuals in self-quarantine, of whom 783 are overseas arrivals and 310 are domestic contacts.

Number of Tests Conducted

The cumulative number of tests conducted at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center’s screening clinics and temporary screening sites is 158,395. On the 11th, among 1,378 tested individuals, 61 were overseas arrivals and 1,317 were domestic residents.

Four temporary screening sites in Gangnam-gu (near Samsung Station Exit 6, Gaepo Digital Innovation Park, Bangjuk Small Park in Segok-dong, and Apgujeong 428 Public Parking Lot), which had shortened operating hours for four days due to a cold wave warning, resumed normal operations from the 11th (weekdays 9 AM?5 PM, weekends 9 AM?1 PM).

Gangnam-gu has detected 77 confirmed cases from 23,331 tests conducted at temporary screening sites so far, helping to block the spread of community infections.

Meanwhile, Gangnam-gu plans to alleviate the difficulties faced by businesses due to COVID-19 by utilizing 20 billion KRW from the Small and Medium Business Development Fund?the largest among Seoul’s 25 districts?to provide first-round support of 10 billion KRW at a fixed annual interest rate of 0.8%.

Also, since the end of last year, 500,000 KRW in public utility fees have been provided to self-employed individuals with annual sales under 200 million KRW. Eligible individuals are encouraged to refer to the Gangnam-gu Office website and apply.

President Moon Jae-in stated in his New Year’s address yesterday, “Vaccinations will begin next month,” and “All citizens will be vaccinated free of charge in order of priority.”

He also emphasized that the entire approval process for therapeutics developed by Korean companies will be transparently disclosed, and that domestic vaccine development will continue to be encouraged.

In this regard, the government plans to finalize the vaccination plan within this month, designating up to 36 million people as priority recipients and proceeding with vaccinations sequentially. What is clear is that regardless of these expectations, at least for now, social distancing and mask-wearing remain the only vaccines protecting us from COVID-19.

For reference, according to Seoul City’s calculation of confirmed case incidence per 100,000 population, Gangnam-gu recorded 185.5 cases (as of the 10th), ranking 15th among the 25 districts, indicating relatively fewer cases compared to other districts.

Despite environmental factors such as high population density and a daily working population of 1.07 million, similar to New York in the United States, which make it vulnerable to cluster infections, Gangnam-gu has managed well thanks to the active cooperation of residents and its meticulous infection control system, including random testing from the early stages and over 200,000 proactive disinfection efforts.

Residents are urged to remember that at times like these, they and their families can be infected at any time, and to strictly adhere to infection control measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing.

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