COVID-19 Vaccines Should Be Given First to People in Their 30s and 40s to Reduce Infections...Research Findings Released

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] As of midnight on the 15th, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases was 513, showing a clear downward trend by recording around 500 cases for five consecutive days.

In particular, the daily new cases in Seoul have remained in the 100s for eight consecutive days, and the infection reproduction number has stayed below 1 for over two weeks.

Since the government's ban on gatherings of five or more people, a marked decrease has been observed. The infection reproduction number, which was 1.28 in mid-last month (December 13?20), dropped to 0.88 last week (January 3?10).

The proportion of cluster outbreaks, which reached 55% last October, also decreased by 20 percentage points to 35% last month, which is interpreted as a result of strengthened social distancing measures.

Although cluster infections have decreased, the proportion of confirmed cases infected through individual contact increased from 12% to 37% during the same period, and the proportion of patients with unknown infection routes also rose by 12 percentage points (from 12.4% to 24.7%).

In this regard, the government sees the need to maintain a certain level of social distancing and is considering extending the current social distancing and ban on gatherings of five or more people, which were originally scheduled to end this weekend.

The quarantine authorities also explained that considering the third wave lasted for a month and a half, the downward trend must last longer than that to suppress COVID-19.

Although vaccination has started, the COVID-19 situation worldwide is still worsening. The United States, which recorded a daily death toll nearing 4,500?the highest ever?has decided to release all vaccines reserved for second doses.

This strategy change came as the delayed vaccination schedule led to increased damage.

In China, the number of locally transmitted confirmed cases reached triple digits for the first time this year (107 cases on the 12th), triggering an emergency. Japan, with a daily death toll of 100 (97 on the 13th), expanded the state of emergency from the metropolitan area to 11 regions including Osaka and Fukuoka.

Countries reintroducing or extending lockdown measures are also increasing. Ireland has allowed entry only to those who test negative for COVID-19 starting today, Denmark extended the five-person gathering restriction period to prevent the spread of variant viruses, and the Netherlands extended the closure period of public places by three weeks.

We are now in the 'With COVID' era, managing the infection situation while continuing daily life. Recently, following the World Health Organization, health experts have predicted that COVID-19 will not disappear but become endemic.

As you have experienced sufficiently over the past year, there is no shortcut in quarantine. We once again urge all residents to strictly follow daily quarantine rules such as social distancing and wearing masks for the sake of yourself, others, and our community.

Now, let me explain the COVID-19 status in Gangnam-gu.

As of today, there have been confirmed cases up to number 1059. Cases 1055, 1057, and 1058 were confirmed with symptoms such as fever and sputum, while cases 1056 and 1059 tested positive after contact with confirmed cases from other regions.

Currently, Gangnam-gu is managing 1,025 self-quarantined individuals, of whom 712 are overseas entrants and 313 are domestic contacts.

The cumulative number of specimen tests conducted at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center’s screening clinic and temporary screening sites is 162,964. Among the 1,512 tested the previous day, 46 were overseas entrants and 1,466 were domestic residents.

With the government announcing the start of COVID-19 vaccination next month, domestic research shows that vaccinating the highly active 30s and 40s first can reduce both deaths and confirmed cases.

According to the initial plan, vaccinating those aged 60 and above would reduce confirmed cases by 31%, but vaccinating those in their 30s and 40s first would reduce confirmed cases by 60% and deaths by 52%. The quarantine authorities regard this as meaningful data and are expected to review the vaccination order.

Additionally, as the government prepares vaccination plans by local governments, Gangnam-gu is proactively forming a task force and establishing guidelines to build a safe medical environment and conduct systematic vaccination.

Regardless of expectations for vaccination, we believe that proactive testing to find hidden infections is the best approach at this time.

Gangnam-gu is conducting proactive testing targeting workers at high-risk facilities according to the infectious disease response principle of 'early detection, early containment.'

Last week (January 4?10), the first round of comprehensive testing was conducted on workers at 27 nursing homes and daycare centers in the area, and all 655 tested negative.

Going forward, Gangnam-gu will conduct specimen tests once a week for workers and disabled facility users.

Meanwhile, Seoul City plans to operate 40 container mobile beds for COVID-19 patient treatment starting at the end of this month on a vacant lot at Seoul Medical Center in Samseong-dong.

We deeply thank the residents and merchant association of Samseong 1-dong for agreeing to the installation of mobile beds at Seoul Medical Center.

Gangnam-gu will continue to do its best with utmost sincerity to suppress the spread of infectious diseases as much as possible and actively revitalize the local economy for the health and safety of all residents.

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