Infection Reproduction Number Around 1.0 in the Past Week... "Capital Region Still Serious"

Son Young-rae, Head of Strategic Planning at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare), is briefing on the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters results at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 28th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The COVID-19 infection reproduction number has slightly decreased. The number of locally transmitted confirmed cases also declined compared to the previous week.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) on the 28th, the one-week infection reproduction number nationwide was about 1.0, slightly down from 1.12 the previous week. In the Seoul metropolitan area, the infection reproduction number was slightly below 1.0, indicating that the spread trend has eased compared to the previous week.

The infection reproduction number indicates how many people one confirmed case infects. A value below 1 means 'epidemic suppression,' while 1 or above means 'epidemic spread.'

The average daily number of locally transmitted confirmed cases was 370, down by 84.9 cases (about 19%) compared to 454.9 cases in the previous week (February 14?20). The average daily confirmed cases in the Seoul metropolitan area were 279.9, a decrease of 57 cases from 336.9 the previous week, while non-metropolitan areas recorded an average of 90.1 cases per day, down 27.9 from 118.0 the previous week.

The number of new cluster outbreaks also decreased to about one-third, from 52 cases to 18 cases during the same period. However, the proportion of patients with unidentified infection routes slightly increased from 19.0% to 23.5%.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, stated at an online regular briefing that "the risk level can be considered lowered when the Seoul metropolitan area’s epidemic size falls below 200 cases per day, but currently, there remains a risk that the epidemic could spread again at any time."

He added, "In summary, there is no sign of a resurgence of the third wave, but daily cases remain high at 300 to 400, showing a stagnation phase. If vigilance is relaxed, the risk of re-spreading remains, and especially the Seoul metropolitan area is still in a serious situation."

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