Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun: "Urgent to Achieve Stable Conditions Ahead of Lunar New Year Holiday and Vaccination"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Countries around the world are on high alert due to COVID-19 variants.

The global cumulative confirmed cases surpassed 90 million on the 10th, and added another 10 million in just 15 days, breaking 100 million on the 26th.

Since exceeding 50 million in early November last year, the number has increased by 10 million approximately every two weeks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that “the variant discovered in the UK has spread to 70 countries, 10 more than a week ago, and the South African variant has been confirmed in 31 countries, 8 more than the previous week.”

Accordingly, European countries are responding strongly by banning overseas travel and closing borders.

The UK has made self-quarantine mandatory for all arrivals, Israel has suspended international flights, and Sweden has completely banned entry from neighboring Norway.

The US, where the Brazil variant was first discovered, has also strengthened entry restrictions.

In South Korea, as of midnight on the 29th, 469 new COVID-19 cases were added. Due to a cluster infection originating from the IM Mission, the daily cases have hovered around 500 for three consecutive days. Seoul’s daily new cases have remained in the 100s for 22 consecutive days.

However, after a period of gradual decline, the domestic situation is becoming unstable again.

The average daily local transmission cases over the past week were 402.7, an increase of 13.3 from the previous 389.4. On the 23rd, the number met the level 2 social distancing criteria at 384.0 cases, but within five days, it rose again to the 400-level, meeting the level 2.5 criteria.

In particular, there are over 340 cumulative confirmed cases related to the IM Mission across more than 40 locations nationwide, raising concerns about infection spread. This is why the government is carefully considering adjustments to social distancing levels starting next month. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun emphasized, “With the Lunar New Year holidays and vaccination ahead next month, achieving a stable situation is urgent.”

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare marking one year of the COVID-19 crisis in Korea showed that 71.5% of the public agreed on the need to expand public medical institutions. This is interpreted as a response to the shortage of hospital beds caused by the pandemic.

In this regard, Gangnam-gu is contributing to the nationwide hospital bed shortage by operating a negative pressure residential treatment center in a local hotel until March 14.

Gangnam-gu will continue to do its best to provide public medical services that ensure the health and safety of its residents.

Now, let me explain the current COVID-19 status and major policies in Gangnam-gu.

Today, cases have been confirmed up to number 1156. Cases 1151 and 1152 are family members of previously confirmed Gangnam-gu residents, while cases 1153, 1154, and 1156 were confirmed through contact with cases from other regions. Case 1155 tested positive with a sore throat symptom, but the infection route is unknown and epidemiological investigation is ongoing.

As of today, Gangnam-gu is managing 999 self-quarantined individuals, of whom 756 are overseas arrivals and 243 are domestic contacts.

The cumulative number of tests conducted at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center’s screening clinics and temporary screening sites is 180,211. Yesterday, among 1,375 tested, 57 were overseas arrivals and 1,318 were domestic residents.

Starting next month, vaccination of 50,000 medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients will begin, marking the official start of domestic vaccination.

The government plans to complete the first dose for the entire population by September and achieve herd immunity by November.

Gangnam-gu will align with the government’s policy by starting vaccinations next month for workers in local nursing hospitals, elderly medical welfare facilities, and high-risk medical institutions. A task force formed early is preparing detailed vaccination guidelines, and two vaccination centers are planned to be established locally (Daejin Gymnasium at 62 Gaepo-ro 109-gil, Gangnam Tourism Information Center at 161 Apgujeong-ro) to ensure fast and smooth free vaccinations.

The Ministry of Education announced that the new school term will start as scheduled in March, even if the COVID-19 situation worsens.

In this regard, Gangnam-gu plans to conduct focused inspections on facilities and compliance with quarantine rules at National Gugak High School, Seoul Robot High School, 수도전기공고 (Sudo Electric Technical High School), and Pungmoon High School, which operate dormitories on February 1 and 2, to ensure safe school life for students before the new semester.

For the first time in Korea, pets have been confirmed infected with COVID-19, and cluster infections continue nationwide. At times like this, proactive testing following the infection control principle of “early detection, early containment” is crucial.

Residents are encouraged to visit temporary screening clinics or Gangnam-gu Public Health Center for testing if they experience any symptoms. Please note that the Gangnam-gu Public Health Center screening clinic hours have changed to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Additionally, Gangnam-gu has designated four local hotels (Oakwood Premier Coex Center, Gangnam Family Hotel, InterContinental Seoul COEX, Prima Hotel) as ‘Safe Accommodations’ for families of quarantined individuals who wish to live separately outside. These have been operated continuously since last year. Families of self-quarantined individuals can inquire at Gangnam-gu Office or the hotels to receive discounted rates.

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