Over 300 Cases for Two Days Straight... Unstable Quarantine Indicators

20 New Cluster Outbreaks in One Week
Rising Infection Reproduction Number Indicates Spread Trend Upward

Citizens are getting tested at the temporary COVID-19 screening site set up at Seoul Station Plaza on the 21st. The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight on the same day, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases increased by 416, bringing the total to 86,992. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea remained in the 300s for the second consecutive day. Although the increase has slowed compared to last week when cases surged into the 600s, major quarantine indicators still show red flags. With the country's first COVID-19 vaccinations just three days away, the government is closely monitoring the recent trends of the outbreak.

On the 23rd, the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) reported that as of midnight, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 357 from the previous day, bringing the total confirmed cases to 87,681. By infection route, 330 cases were locally transmitted and 27 were imported. This marks the second consecutive day with daily new cases in the 300s, following 332 cases the day before.

However, other quarantine indicators remain concerning beyond the trend in new cases. The reproduction number, which gauges the spread of the virus, recorded 1.12 over the past week (February 14?20), showing a continuous rise. Additionally, the positivity rate, which indicates the proportion of positive cases among tests conducted, has exceeded 1%. New cluster outbreaks continue to emerge as well. In the past week, a total of 20 new clusters were identified, including 5 at workplaces and 6 at family or acquaintance gatherings, illustrating how COVID-19 continues to infiltrate daily life.

The health authorities are worried that the resurgence of COVID-19 could affect the vaccination schedule. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated the day before, "There is a difference between gradually expanding vaccinations under stable conditions and responding to a resurgence with full force while vaccinating." He emphasized, "The epidemic situation this week is very important." Any disruption to the vaccination plan would inevitably make it difficult to achieve the goal of herd immunity by November.

Professor Cheon Eun-mi of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital said, "There are reports that even people who have contracted COVID-19 experience a significant increase in neutralizing antibodies after vaccination, so the more confirmed cases there are, the more urgent it is to accelerate vaccinations." She added, "Although a resurgence could burden healthcare workers and complicate vaccinations, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can be stored frozen or at room temperature for about two weeks to a month, allowing vaccinations to be administered at general medical institutions."

The first COVID-19 vaccine, AstraZeneca, will begin administration at 9 a.m. on the 26th to approximately 290,000 people, including residents and workers under 65 years old at nursing hospitals and facilities, as well as mental health and rehabilitation facilities. On the same day, about 58,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the international vaccine-sharing project COVAX Facility will arrive in the country and will be prioritized for healthcare workers at COVID-19 treatment hospitals starting the following day. From March 8, healthcare workers at tertiary general hospitals and hospital-level institutions will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The government’s individual contract with Pfizer for vaccine supply has also entered the domestic import process in earnest. On this day, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will announce the advisory results from the expert review panel meeting on the Pfizer vaccine. This is the first of three external expert advisory meetings for COVID-19 vaccine approval. Of the 13 million doses contracted with Pfizer, 500,000 doses will be imported by the end of next month, with an additional 3 million doses planned for supply in the second quarter.

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