Variant Virus 'Total 51 Cases'... A Quarantine Time Bomb During Seollal Holiday

51 Cases of Variant Virus Confirmed by the 6th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, which is expected to see large-scale population movement, cases of infection with highly transmissible COVID-19 variant viruses are increasing.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), a total of 51 variant virus infection cases have been confirmed domestically as of the 6th. Among them, 37 cases are infections with the UK variant, the highest number, followed by 9 cases of the South African variant and 5 cases of the Brazilian variant.

In particular, as variant virus infection cases have been continuously confirmed since the beginning of this month, quarantine authorities are also showing signs of tension. On the 3rd, 4 cases were confirmed, and 12 additional cases were reported the day before. The previous 4 cases were related to a cluster infection among foreign relatives in Gyeongnam and Jeonnam provinces, while the additional cases are separate and unrelated.

The number of countries presumed to be the source of overseas introduction of variant viruses into Korea has expanded to a total of 18 countries. These include the UK, UAE, Brazil, Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Norway, Malawi, Maldives, Iraq, China, Zimbabwe, Canada, Poland, France, Hungary, and Syria. The 12 variant virus infection cases confirmed on the 6th were identified among entrants from UAE, Nigeria, Norway, Hungary, Iraq, France, China, Poland, and Tanzania.

For now, the CDCH plans to strengthen monitoring and surveillance of variant viruses. Lee Sang-won, head of the CDCH Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Division, said at a briefing the day before, "Whole genome sequencing to distinguish variant viruses is a scientific analysis technique that requires specialized personnel to analyze about 30,000 genetic bases, taking considerable time and cost, and is different from the PCR method used for COVID-19 diagnosis." He added, "Whole genome sequencing is being conducted on 10 to 20% of confirmed cases among entrants from countries where variant viruses have been reported."

The CDCH is scheduled to announce on the 8th whether additional variant virus cases have been confirmed since the 6th.

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