Government: "One-third of confirmed cases are variants... Delta in the metropolitan area is more than twice Alpha" (Update)

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Briefing

As the spread of COVID-19 continues, the number of new confirmed cases remained in the 1,300s for three consecutive days on the 11th. Medical staff are working at a temporary screening clinic set up in front of Exit 6 of Samseong Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The government announced on the 11th that about one-third of the recent new COVID-19 cases were identified as variant viruses. Although variant viruses are not yet the dominant strain overall, the spread centered on the Delta variant, known for its high transmissibility, has intensified, resulting in more than twice as many cases in the metropolitan area compared to the Alpha variant.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for COVID-19, said at the regular briefing that "variant viruses are detected in about one-third of the new confirmed cases," adding, "The fourth wave is intensifying mainly in the metropolitan area, and the spread continues through various small daily contacts, especially among young and middle-aged adults." He also added, "The influence of the Delta variant is gradually increasing."

According to the quarantine authorities, the average daily number of locally transmitted cases in the country during the past week (July 4?10) was about 992, an increase of 337 from the previous week. Imported cases also rose from an average of 43 to 62 per day. The proportion of cases under investigation with unknown infection routes during the past week was 31.9%. This means that about one in three new patients cannot identify the infection route. The proportion of cases managed within the quarantine network also fell below 40% to 36.9%.

Son said, "The Delta variant is gradually increasing, and last week in the metropolitan area, the Delta variant was detected more than twice as often as the Alpha variant."

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