Capital Region Level 4... Expected to Continue Until Next Week

New Cases 1,278... Authorities "Allow Religious Activities up to 19 People in Level 4"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is giving an opening remark at the emergency district mayor meeting related to COVID-19 held at the Seoul City Hall Integrated Safety Situation Room on the 20th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] As the highly transmissible 'Delta variant' rapidly spreads to non-metropolitan areas, concerns are growing that the 'Delta dominance' period could come earlier than the authorities' expected August timeline. The application of Level 4 'social distancing' in the metropolitan area due to the '4th wave' is likely to continue until next week.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 20th, as of midnight, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 26 from the previous day to 1,278, marking four-digit figures for two consecutive weeks. Following the record high number of confirmed cases on Sunday, the spread continued during the weekdays, showing signs of a nationwide outbreak.

The recent 7-day average daily confirmed cases in the metropolitan area is about 1,000, reaching the Level 4 (1,000 or more) threshold for the first time on this day. The proportion of non-metropolitan area cases among total locally transmitted cases was 32.9% on this day, maintaining the highest level for two consecutive days. The number of critically ill patients also rose to 207, surpassing 200 for the first time since the 4th wave.

In particular, the spread of the Delta variant is fierce. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, among the confirmed domestic cases in the past week (July 11?17), 1,001 were infected with one of the four major variants, of which 71.8% were detected as the Delta variant. While only 17 out of 225 major variant infections in the third week of June were Delta variant cases, the number surged to 719 last week, a 42-fold increase in one month.

Last week, the detection rate of major variants in Korea was 47.1%, up 10.2 percentage points from the previous week, with the Delta variant detection rate rising 10.6 percentage points to 33.9%. Over the past five weeks, the Delta variant detection rate among major variants averaged 21%, but it jumped from just 2.5% in the third week of June to double digits in the last one to two weeks, indicating that Delta dominance could soon become a reality. Dominance refers to a phenomenon where a species expands its territory or increases its numbers or occupied area.

The authorities did not rule out the possibility of Delta dominance in August, but experts expect the dominance period to come earlier if the current spread continues. The spread in non-metropolitan areas is analyzed to have been partly due to the introduction of the Delta variant. Professor Jung Jae-hoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University College of Medicine said, "I believe the Delta variant has already become dominant," adding, "When a variant is confirmed within the same group, cases epidemiologically linked are also considered variant cases, so the actual spread of the variant is much larger than the known figures."

As a result, the possibility of extending Level 4 social distancing in the metropolitan area is gaining weight. Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center said, "This week is a period to suppress the increase in confirmed cases, and it will take several more weeks to shift to a downward trend." He added, "It is important that the current situation is maintained or the number of patients decreases at least until the peak vacation period in late July and early August, the next two weeks. Since the full-scale vacation season movement starts from next week, an additional extension of Level 4 is inevitable."

Meanwhile, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters partially revised the quarantine rules for religious facilities on this day. Under Level 4 social distancing in the metropolitan area, regular religious activities are primarily non-face-to-face, but going forward, attendance will be allowed within 19 people or 10% of the total capacity, whichever is smaller. However, churches with a history of violating existing quarantine rules are excluded.

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