New COVID-19 Cases Remain in the 500s for Four Days... Authorities Say "At a Crossroads of the 4th Wave Reality"

Four Consecutive Days with 500+ Cases... Spread Extends to Non-Capital Areas
Health Authorities Closely Monitor 'Possibility of Entering 4th Wave'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea has remained in the 500s for four consecutive days. With the spread of COVID-19 observed not only in the metropolitan area but also in non-metropolitan regions, health authorities appear to be concerned about the possibility of a fourth wave.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 3rd at midnight that 543 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 104,736. This is 15 fewer than the 558 cases reported at midnight the previous day, but the number has stayed in the 500s for four days straight. Regarding the infection routes, 521 cases were locally transmitted, and 22 were imported from overseas.

By region, 154 cases were reported in Seoul, 143 in Gyeonggi, and 19 in Incheon, totaling 316 cases in the metropolitan area. Although about 60% of all confirmed cases are still concentrated in the metropolitan area, the spread in non-metropolitan regions cannot be overlooked. Busan, which raised its social distancing measures to level 2 starting the previous day, reported 61 confirmed cases. Additionally, cases were reported across all regions nationwide, including Gyeongnam (28), Jeonbuk (20), Daejeon (19), Gangwon (16), Gyeongbuk (16), and Chungbuk (11).

Clusters of infections continue to spread across various facilities nationwide. In Jungnang-gu, Seoul, related to family and workplace, 13 people tested positive during contact tracing after the first confirmed case on the 30th of last month. In Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi, 11 people have been confirmed positive so far in cases linked to sports facilities and churches.

Temporary screening clinics set up to detect hidden infections in the metropolitan area are also reporting a surge in confirmed cases. On the previous day, 69 infections were identified through these temporary screening clinics, accounting for 21.8% of the total metropolitan cases and 13.2% of the nationwide locally transmitted cases.

On the 2nd, a medical staff member at Mapo-gu Public Health Center in Seoul is busy filling syringes with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine ahead of vaccination for health and medical organization leaders. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Accordingly, health authorities, who had previously assessed the domestic COVID-19 situation as "the stagnation period of the third wave," have now begun to warn about the possibility of a fourth wave. They are closely monitoring the current situation, where daily confirmed cases remain in the 500s, viewing it as a critical juncture for the fourth wave.

At the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on the morning of the same day, Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol stated, "Looking at the recent COVID-19 trends, it seems that the fourth wave is being signaled by the virus spreading across all daily life spaces," adding, "We are at a crossroads between achieving herd immunity through smooth vaccination or facing the reality of a fourth wave."

Minister Kwon expressed concern, saying, "Cluster infections are increasing in multi-use facilities such as restaurants and entertainment venues, densely populated workplaces like call centers and logistics centers, and vulnerable facilities such as schools and daycare centers," and warned, "If a fourth wave occurs now, when vaccination for the general public has begun, it could disrupt the vaccination process due to the exhaustion of limited medical personnel."

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also emphasized at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting the previous day, "The number of daily confirmed cases has remained in the 500s for three consecutive days, and infections are spreading not only in the metropolitan area but also in other regions, which is very concerning," adding, "It is a very precarious situation that makes us worry whether we are just catching our breath at the start of the fourth wave." He further urged adherence to quarantine rules, saying, "We must not repeat the situation last winter when the number of confirmed cases, which was in the 500s, doubled in just five days during the full onset of the third wave."

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