245 Confirmed Cases Linked to Hongdae Pub Amid 'Delta Variant' Concerns... Authorities Say Existing Vaccines Provide Protection

The implementation of the 'new social distancing' has been postponed for one week, and on the evening of the 1st, the streets near Hongdae in Mapo-gu, Seoul, are relatively quiet.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the spread of COVID-19 intensifies again in South Korea, the number of confirmed cases related to the cluster infection linked to the Hongdae pub 'La Bamba' in Mapo-gu, identified as the main source of this wave, has increased to 245. Particularly, the presence of the highly transmissible Delta variant (Indian variant) has been confirmed in this cluster infection, raising further concerns. However, authorities believe the situation is not severe as the currently developed vaccines can prevent the Delta variant.

On the 2nd, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that three additional confirmed cases related to a restaurant in Mapo-gu and an English academy in Gyeonggi Province have been reported, bringing the total to 245. Among these, nine cases of Delta variant infection have been confirmed, and it is presumed that all of them are infected with the highly transmissible and high-risk Delta variant.

The confirmed cases include 53 related to the Mapo-gu restaurant, as well as ▲72 at Seongnam academies ▲32 at Bucheon academies ▲38 at Goyang academies ▲36 at Uijeongbu Academy 4 ▲6 at Uijeongbu Academy 5 ▲7 at Incheon academies ▲1 at Namyangju academy.

Moreover, a confirmed case residing in Busan, presumed to have been infected after exposure at a Mapo-gu pub on the 19th of last month, visited the emotional pub 'Groove' in Busanjin-gu, Busan on the 27th, subsequently infecting one resident of Daejeon who was also present there, continuing the chain of transmission. Authorities are currently conducting contact tracing for visitors to the Busan pub and analyzing the variant virus in confirmed cases.

In this regard, authorities have urged people to refrain from using various entertainment facilities (pubs, bars, emotional pubs, clubs, etc.) for the next two weeks, including this weekend. They also requested facility operators to thoroughly check visitors' symptoms, manage visitor logs, and ensure regular ventilation.

Additionally, three more confirmed cases have been added to the cluster infection related to a dance studio in nearby Mapo-gu, bringing the total to 22. The health authorities explained that no direct contact or visitation link has been confirmed between the Hongdae pub-related cases and the Mapo-gu dance studio cases. Park Young-jun, head of the epidemiological investigation team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated, "It is not easy to definitively say there is a direct connection, but the epidemiological link is somewhat likely given the facilities," adding, "We are conducting tracking and management in the same way."

On the 2nd, passengers from a flight arriving from India are walking out of the arrival hall at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, Kwon Jun-wook, Deputy Director of the Central Disease Control Headquarters and Director of the National Institute of Health, acknowledged the high transmissibility of the Delta variant but stated that its impact is not yet significant, and that social distancing and existing COVID-19 vaccines can control its spread.

Deputy Director Kwon said about the Delta variant, "Its transmissibility is about 40-60% higher than the Alpha variant (UK variant), which was already considered more transmissible than the original COVID-19, showing about 1.5 times the transmissibility of Alpha, so it is indeed highly transmissible." He warned, "Considering this, the spread of the Delta variant in the metropolitan area is only a matter of time, and if its impact adds up, the situation in the metropolitan area could worsen significantly."

However, he also explained, "In our country, the proportion of the Delta variant is not relatively large," and "The impact of the variant on us cannot yet be considered very significant."

Deputy Director Kwon identified three types of variants that are most concerning: ▲those that cannot be detected by diagnostic tests at all ▲those against which treatments or vaccines are almost ineffective ▲those that fundamentally change the pathogenesis of COVID-19. However, he emphasized, "Currently emerging variants can be defended against through personal hygiene, social distancing, and existing vaccines, so at this stage, the key is to suppress the spread as much as possible."

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