Nearly 8,000 Infections of 4 Major Variants... Delta Variant Detected Most Frequently (Update)

On the 13th, with 1,150 new COVID-19 cases reported, marking the first week with daily new cases exceeding 1,000, citizens waiting to get tested at a temporary screening clinic set up in Yeouido Park, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of infections from the four major COVID-19 variants that have entered South Korea has nearly reached 8,000.

Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at the regular COVID-19 briefing on the 13th, "In the past week, an additional 536 confirmed cases of major variant viruses were identified," adding, "By type, there were 162 Alpha cases and 374 Delta cases, with no Beta or Gamma cases." The total cumulative confirmed variant cases now stand at 3,353, broken down as 2,405 Alpha, 143 Beta, 15 Gamma, and 263 Delta cases.

Among 1,215 genetic analyses conducted in the past week to identify variants, 536 variant viruses were detected. This corresponds to a variant detection rate of 36.9%. Since genetic analysis began in December last year, 3,353 variant viruses have been confirmed out of 13,918 cases, representing 24.1%, so the current detection rate is about 1.5 times higher. However, this is lower than last week's detection rate of 50.1%.

So far, the number of cluster infection cases with confirmed variant virus infections in South Korea has increased by 18 from the previous week, totaling 229 cases. Among the new cases, 58 were confirmed variant infections, and the epidemiologically related cases reached 327. Currently, due to limited genetic testing capacity, when some cases in a cluster infection are confirmed as variant infections, the entire cluster is effectively classified as 'epidemiologically related cases' of variant infections.

Considering this, the total number of major variant infections in South Korea, combining 3,353 confirmed variant cases and 4,642 cumulative epidemiologically related cases, amounts to 7,995, nearly reaching 8,000.

On the 13th, when the number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 1,000 for a week straight, citizens are waiting for testing at the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Among these, the spread of the Delta variant, which is highly transmissible, has a higher hospitalization rate, and raises concerns about reducing vaccine efficacy, continues to increase steadily. The number of confirmed Delta variant cases in South Korea rose from 416 last week to 790 this week, showing a continuous upward trend. Including 230 epidemiologically related cases, a total of 1,020 people were confirmed infected with the Delta variant this week alone.

Notably, the detection rate of the Delta variant jumped to 23.3%, more than double last week's 9.9%. The detection rate in the metropolitan area increased significantly from 12.7% to 26.5%. The detection rate among imported cases also slightly rose from 81.5% to 86.1%.

Although there are concerns that the Delta virus could become the 'dominant strain,' Lee Sang-won explained, "While the detection rate of the Delta virus has risen considerably, it does not yet fit the pattern of 'dominance' where it constitutes the largest portion within a specific strain." However, he warned, "(The Delta variant) is increasing very rapidly," adding, "In places like the United States and Europe, predictions suggest that by the end of next month, 90% of cases will be Delta."

The Delta variant is reported to be 1.6 times more transmissible than the Alpha variant and has about 2.26 times higher hospitalization rates. Additionally, there are interpretations that it may reduce vaccine efficacy, raising overall concerns that it is more dangerous compared to the Alpha variant.

Moreover, not only from India but also from Indonesia, 131 confirmed Delta variant cases have entered the country in the past two weeks, with 26 and 21 cases arriving from Russia and Uzbekistan respectively, increasing the risk of Delta variant importation not only from India but also from other countries.

Citizens are lining up at the COVID-19 emergency control checkpoint located at Bogor Train Station in West Java Province, Indonesia. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that to expand variant surveillance in response to the recent increase in cases in the metropolitan area, PCR analysis methods capable of detecting the Delta variant will be pilot-applied for two weeks starting from the 15th at local government health and environmental research institutes (city/provincial level). If the PCR analysis method is introduced, local governments will be able to quickly identify and track Delta variant occurrences independently, contributing to effective response and enhanced surveillance of variant outbreaks.

This pilot project involves local governments selectively estimating Delta variant infections, followed by final confirmation through genomic analysis by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The effectiveness of field application will be analyzed during the two-week pilot operation, and the possibility of applying it as a definitive test will be reviewed.

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