88% of Major 4 Variant Infections in the Past Week Are 'Delta Type'... "Delta Also Dominant in Our Country"

On the 27th, when the dual hardships of the COVID-19 surge and heatwave were rampant, a summer vacation notice was posted at a store in Tongin Market, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] In the past week, 88% of domestic infections with the four major variant viruses were identified as the 'Delta variant.'

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 27th, genetic analysis was conducted on 2,436 cases domestically from July 18 to 24. Among the four major variants from the UK, South Africa (Nam-Africa), Brazil, and India, 1,412 cases were detected, with the Delta variant accounting for 88% (1,242 cases) of the total.

The 'Alpha variant' (UK variant) followed with 168 cases, while the 'Beta variant' (South Africa variant) and 'Gamma variant' (Brazil variant) each had one case.

Among 1,233 domestic infection cases, the Delta variant accounted for 1,080, making up the majority.

Combining domestic infections and imported cases over the past week, the detection rate of the Delta variant exceeded half at 51.0%.

For domestic infection cases, the Delta variant detection rate was 48.0%, approaching 50%. Notably, the detection rate of the Delta variant in the Seoul metropolitan area rose from 36.5% to 48.2%.

The health authorities have analyzed 18,735 samples since December last year and confirmed a total of 6,016 major variants to date. By type, the Delta variant accounted for 2,983 cases, surpassing the Alpha variant (2,869 cases) for the first time.

Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Division at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said, "Due to the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, even countries with high vaccination rates have seen an increase in cases, and more countries are strengthening social distancing measures again. In South Korea, the Delta variant is now the dominant strain."

He added, "The best globally proven response measures are adherence to quarantine rules and classical methods such as expanding 'social distancing.' Control through vaccination is the most effective and ultimate method," he explained.

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