41 Additional Variant Virus Cases... First Local Infection of South African Variant Confirmed

Arrivals are moving through airport quarantine procedures at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As cases of COVID-19 variant virus infections continue to be discovered, the variant virus originating from South Africa, known for reduced vaccine and treatment efficacy, has been confirmed not only through overseas importation but also for the first time through transmission within the local community.

On the 5th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that since the 29th of last month, a total of 41 additional variant virus infections have been confirmed, bringing the total number of variant virus infection cases to 330. Among the 41 new infections, 31 were the UK variant and 10 were the South African variant. No additional Brazilian variant infections were reported.

Of the 41 cases, 22 were domestic occurrences and 19 were imported cases, with nationalities consisting of 26 Koreans and 15 foreigners.

Among the 22 domestic cases, 12 were additions to existing cluster infections, and the remaining 5 were confirmed in a workplace and family cluster infection case in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Notably, these 5 cases were identified as the South African variant, marking the first instance of the South African variant virus spreading within the local community in Korea. Park Young-jun, head of the CDCH epidemiological investigation team, stated, "The Gangseo-gu cases were identified during the process of strengthening community surveillance," and added, "It is presumed to be related to a family cluster case in Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi Province."

Among the 19 imported cases, 6 were detected during quarantine, and the remaining 13 tested positive during tests conducted while in self-quarantine after entry.

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