33 Police Officers Confirmed with COVID-19 This Month... Cases of 'Breakthrough Infections' Also Reported

20 Cases in the Capital Area and 13 Cases in Non-Capital Areas
14 Cases Among Fully Vaccinated Individuals

Police officer receiving a vaccine. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] As the fourth wave of COVID-19 continues, police officers protecting public safety are also testing positive one after another. The police plan to strengthen quarantine measures to minimize any gaps in security.

According to the National Police Agency on the 23rd, a total of 33 police officers have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 so far this month. By region, 20 officers (61%) are from the Seoul metropolitan area, and 13 officers (39%) are from non-metropolitan areas.

By city and provincial police agencies, there are 12 in Seoul, 5 in Gyeongnam, 4 in Southern Gyeonggi, 3 each in Incheon and Daegu, 2 each in Busan and Gyeongbuk, and 1 each in Northern Gyeonggi and Chungnam. The most common infection route was transmission among family members with 12 cases (37%), but 11 cases (33%) had unknown infection routes. Additionally, there were 9 cases (27%) of transmission among acquaintances and 1 case (3%) of transmission among staff.

Police officers have been receiving COVID-19 vaccinations since April this year. However, breakthrough infections have continued to occur as some have only completed the first dose and the Delta variant has been spreading. Among the confirmed cases, 13 were unvaccinated, 6 had received the first dose, and 14 were fully vaccinated.

In particular, the number of confirmed police cases surged after the Gwangbokjeol holiday. In the first week of this month (1st?7th), there were 9 cases, 6 cases in the second week (8th?14th), and a sharp increase to 18 cases in the third week (15th?21st).

The police are recommending refraining from unnecessary gatherings and dinners, as the Delta variant has become dominant and breakthrough infections are not uncommon. They are encouraging compliance with social distancing, avoiding visits to multi-use facilities by cohabiting family members, wearing masks, and refraining from gatherings to cooperate with quarantine rules.

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