Gyeonggi-do Reports 42 Confirmed Cases of Delta Variant Virus... Rapid Increase 'Serious'

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has urged special caution regarding the 'Delta (India-origin) variant virus,' which has a higher transmission rate than the existing COVID-19 virus, and requested that people get tested promptly if symptoms appear.

According to Gyeonggi Province, analysis of variant virus trends since December last year shows that the first confirmed case of the Delta variant virus in the province was reported on April 7 this year, and as of June 30, 42 cases have been confirmed.

Analyzing the confirmation dates of these 42 cases by month, there were 4 cases in April, 8 in May, and 30 in June, showing a rapid increase.

The infection routes of the 42 cases include 18 related to cluster outbreaks, 13 from overseas arrivals, and 8 from contact with confirmed cases. The infection routes of the remaining 3 are under investigation.

The province estimates that there are 258 confirmed cases epidemiologically linked to these 42 Delta variant virus cases. Although these 258 confirmed cases have not undergone separate genetic analysis tests for the Delta variant virus, they are considered a group likely infected with the Delta variant due to contact with confirmed Delta variant cases.

Therefore, the province assumes that there are more actual Delta variant virus cases beyond the 42 confirmed ones.

To prevent the spread of the Delta variant virus, the province is conducting rapid epidemiological investigations and tests before releasing contacts from quarantine.

On the 1st of this month, the province held a meeting with city and county health center directors to discuss measures against the spread of the Delta variant virus, agreeing to prevent its spread through proactive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing and comprehensive contact management.

A provincial official said, "Considering the infection routes and high transmissibility of the Delta variant virus, rapid spread in the community is a concern," and urged, "Please get tested promptly if symptoms appear and strictly follow quarantine guidelines."

Meanwhile, the Delta variant virus is known to have 1.6 times stronger transmissibility than the Alpha variant virus, which has the highest number of confirmed cases among variant viruses.

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