Delta Variant Cases Increase by 153 in One Week... 9 New Cluster Infections Reported (Update)

Variant Detection Rate Surges to 50.1%

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] In the past week, 325 additional cases of major variant infections have been confirmed domestically. Among them, domestic infection cases have exceeded 200, raising concerns about the spread of variants.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 6th, during the recent week (6.27.~7.3), 325 additional confirmed cases of major variant viruses were identified, bringing the cumulative total to 2,817. By type, there were 168 cases of the UK-origin 'Alpha variant,' 4 cases of the South Africa-origin 'Beta variant,' and 4 cases of the Brazil-origin 'Gamma variant.' The India-origin 'Delta variant,' which has recently raised global concerns about its spread, was recorded at 153 cases, closely following the Alpha variant and ranking second in number.

Among these, 205 cases were domestic infections. The reported regions of domestic infected individuals were concentrated in the metropolitan area, with 53 cases in Gyeonggi, 26 in Seoul, and 20 in Incheon.

A total of 20 new major cluster cases of variant viruses were confirmed. There were 11 Alpha variant clusters and 9 Delta variant clusters. The Alpha variant clusters were located in Seoul (3 cases), Gyeonggi (1 case), Chungnam (1 case), Daejeon (2 cases), Gyeongbuk (1 case), Daegu (1 case), Gyeongnam (1 case), and Gwangju (1 case). The Delta variant clusters were in Seoul (4 cases), Gyeonggi (1 case), Gyeongnam (1 case), Busan (1 case), Jeonbuk (1 case), and Jeonnam (1 case).

The total number of confirmed cases related to these new cluster cases was 753, of which 59 were confirmed variant infections and 694 had epidemiological links. On average, 37.6 patients occurred per cluster case.

Last week, the detection rate of variant viruses exceeded 50%. Genetic analysis was conducted on a total of 649 cases, and variants were confirmed in 325 cases. The variant detection rate, which had been in the 30% range until the previous week, sharply rose to 50.1%.

Meanwhile, since May 4th, a total of 3,644 Indian overseas nationals have entered the country via 23 irregular flights, and so far, 82 people (2.3%) have tested positive during entry and quarantine stages. Among them, 22 cases of the Delta variant were confirmed through variant infection testing.

Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at the regular COVID-19 briefing that "Currently, the Delta variant virus is spreading worldwide, and predictions from Europe and the United States indicate that it will become the dominant strain at about 90% by the end of August." He emphasized, "The Delta variant has high transmissibility, which can cause more patients and makes epidemic control difficult. However, it is important to adhere to the basics of quarantine to slow transmission and complete herd immunity through vaccination in response to variants."

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