Confirmed Cases Back to 400s... Warning Signal for 'Spring Season Outbreak'

Daily COVID-19 Cases Plateau for Two Months
Increased Activity Raises Infection Risk ↑

"Risk Higher Than '400-Level' Numbers"

On the 15th, when social distancing in the metropolitan area was eased to Level 2, office workers who finished their meals at a cafe in Seoul are purchasing drinks. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose again to the mid-400s on the 9th. Although the number of confirmed cases dropped to the 300s the previous day due to the weekend effect of reduced testing, it increased again in just one day. The daily number of confirmed cases has remained stagnant for nearly two months, raising alarms about a potential fourth wave.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) reported that as of midnight on this day, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 446 from the previous day to 93,263. Of the new cases, 427 were locally transmitted and 19 were imported. The daily number of confirmed cases briefly surged to the 600s immediately after the Lunar New Year holiday but has since remained in a box range around the 300-400s. Notably, the average daily number of confirmed cases over the past week (March 3-9) has exceeded 400.

Accordingly, concerns about the officially mentioned "fourth wave in March-April" are growing among experts and health authorities. The biggest recent concern is the increase in cluster infections in everyday settings such as small to medium-sized manufacturing workplaces and multi-use facilities. Last week, there were a total of 21 new cluster outbreaks, including 9 family and acquaintance gatherings and 7 workplace clusters. In particular, manufacturing workplaces are of special concern to health authorities due to the high risk of infection caused by dense working environments and shared living arrangements, which make early detection difficult.

Another issue is the increased interpersonal contact due to the start of the new semester in elementary, middle, and high schools and spring outings this month. At Gwangmun High School in Seoul, 15 students, including members of the soccer club, tested positive for COVID-19 since the 5th, prompting comprehensive testing of second and third-year students. Cases of students testing positive after attending school have also been confirmed one after another in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, Jeju, and Yeosu, Jeollanam-do.

Professor Cheon Eun-mi of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Ewha Mokdong Hospital said, "Since there are infections hidden everywhere that we do not know about, the risk is greater than the current figure of 400 cases suggests," adding, "Places like underground shopping centers where people gather for long periods are blind spots in quarantine, so it is important to conduct proactive testing to quickly identify hidden confirmed cases."

On the 12th, ahead of the adjustment of social distancing levels to be applied from next week, health authorities are also deliberating carefully. The existing plan to simplify the current five-level social distancing system into four levels continues to be postponed. Authorities consider stabilizing the outbreak in the metropolitan area a prerequisite for revising the distancing system. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained, "We can consider revising the distancing system only when the daily new confirmed cases in the metropolitan area fall below 200." On this day, the number of new confirmed cases in the metropolitan area was 299.

Meanwhile, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine recipients increased to 383,346 on this day. As vaccination expands, reports of adverse reactions are also increasing. There were 936 new reports of adverse reactions in one day, bringing the total to 4,851. Among these, 43 were suspected anaphylaxis cases, 5 were suspected severe cases, and 13 deaths were reported.

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