Increase in Imported COVID-19 Cases Amid Global Spread of 'Delta Variant'

On the 20th, when the number of new COVID-19 cases remained in the 400s for the second consecutive day at 429, medical staff at a temporary screening clinic set up in Seoul Station Plaza are collecting samples from citizens. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] As the COVID-19 'Delta variant' spreads worldwide, the number of confirmed cases imported from overseas in South Korea is rapidly increasing, causing health authorities to be on high alert. As the number of imported cases rises, the possibility of the Delta variant entering the country also increases, prompting authorities to be highly vigilant about the potential spread of the Delta variant.

As of the 19th, there are 190 confirmed Delta variant infections domestically, and when including 66 individuals epidemiologically linked to them, the total is estimated to be 256.

The Delta variant is a type that exhibits mutation sites from the major variant 'Alpha' and the other variant 'Epsilon' together, and is known to have a transmission rate 1.6 times higher than the rapidly spreading Alpha variant.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 26th at midnight that the number of confirmed cases imported from overseas was 57, the second highest since the first domestic COVID-19 case was confirmed on January 20 last year.

Looking at the number of imported confirmed cases over the past week, the daily average was 42.3, an increase of 15.7 from the previous week's daily average of 26.6.

The increase in imported cases is partly due to a slight rise in cases from various countries, but largely attributed to a significant increase in positive cases among arrivals from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, health authorities plan to further strengthen entry quarantine and community surveillance to suppress the domestic spread of the Delta variant as much as possible.

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