Health Authorities: "A 4th Wave of COVID-19 Can Occur at Any Time"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jihwan] The government warned that although the current third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has entered a plateau phase, a fourth wave could begin at any time.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team, explained at a briefing on the 7th, "The infection reproduction number is below 1.0 in all regions nationwide and has slightly decreased compared to last week," adding, "The infection reproduction number in the metropolitan area has hardly changed compared to last week, and overall, the spread trend is stagnant."

The infection reproduction number refers to the number of additional patients that one confirmed case can infect. If this number is above 1, it is recognized as an epidemic situation where the number of infections increases over time. A value of 1 means the current state is maintained, and below 1 indicates the epidemic is gradually subsiding.

The quarantine authorities hold the view that it is difficult to say the third wave has completely subsided. Considering the current scale of patient cases, increased mobility in spring, growing fatigue due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of overseas imported viruses, and the possibility of domestic importation, the authorities explain that a fourth wave could come at any time, so it is crucial to strictly follow quarantine guidelines.

Yoon emphasized, "Currently, the epidemic is neither decreasing nor spreading again, but there have been 300 to 400 confirmed cases daily for seven weeks since mid-January, so we cannot be complacent," adding, "We have already experienced the number of confirmed cases increasing from 400 per day at the end of last year to over 1,000 within three weeks."

In particular, the spread of the epidemic in the metropolitan area is not subsiding easily. Yoon expressed concern, saying, "The number of patients in the metropolitan area remains high, and the epidemic is not decreasing," and "The metropolitan area recorded an average of 295 cases per day last week, which accounts for about 80% of the total cases."

The government plans to strengthen early detection and containment of confirmed cases through enhanced diagnostic testing and epidemiological investigations to prevent a fourth wave, as well as to reinforce management and monitoring of overseas arrivals to actively block the inflow of variant viruses.

The quarantine authorities stated that as a result of continuously securing hospital beds for treating COVID-19 patients, bed capacity remains stable. As of the 6th, 38 living treatment centers have secured a total of 6,333 beds. The utilization rate is 34.9%, leaving 4,122 beds available.

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