"Supervariant with Vaccine Resistance May Emerge" Need to Strengthen Response to New Variants

[With Corona Task - Part 2]

The Biggest Obstacle: Emergence of Variant Viruses
Domestic Variant Detection Rate Last Week 90.4%

With Corona, Variant Response Capability is Key
Need Flexible and Meticulous Quarantine System

UK Declares Full Lifting of Quarantine Rules
Mask Wearing Left to Individual Choice
Scientists Criticize as "Risky and Unethical"

Singapore Pursues 'Gradual Transition'
Applied Only to Domestic and Vaccinated Individuals
Arrivals Subject to PCR Test and Self-Quarantine

On the 1st, at the 'GALA' music festival held in London, UK, citizens are enjoying the festival, cheering without wearing masks. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The biggest obstacle to transitioning to ‘with corona,’ which seeks coexistence between daily life and COVID-19, is the emergence of variant viruses. Countries that previously shifted their quarantine policies to with corona have seen success or failure depending on how they respond to the spread of variants. Experts emphasize the importance of establishing a flexible and meticulous quarantine system according to future situations such as the occurrence of variants.

'With Corona' Requires Preparation for New Variant Emergence

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 26th, since December last year, a total of 16,842 cases of infection with four major COVID-19 variants (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta) have been confirmed. Just last week, 2,899 additional cases were reported. In particular, the Delta variant, which has strong infectivity and high rates of severe illness and mortality, is becoming dominant, increasing the threat of variants. In the fourth week of June, variants were detected in only 196 cases (30.5%) out of 642 analyzed, but last week, 3,206 cases were analyzed and variants were detected in 2,899 cases (90.4%). Among these, 2,874 cases, or 99.1%, were confirmed as the Delta variant.

Since new variants such as the Lambda variant, which is spreading in the Latin America region, continue to emerge, there is a reason why thorough preparation against variants is necessary for the transition to with corona quarantine policies. The UK, which introduced with corona earlier, declared a full lifting of quarantine rules amid the gradual spread of the Delta variant. On the 19th of last month, the UK lifted all business restrictions, including nightlife venues such as nightclubs, and completely removed gathering limits. Mask-wearing was left to individual choice except in crowded indoor spaces.

According to the international statistics site Worldometer, the UK’s daily new COVID-19 cases, which were 54,183 on the 17th of last month, decreased somewhat to 31,741 on the 23rd but still show a considerable spread. The UK government plans to continue lifting quarantine measures, considering not only the spread of COVID-19 but also the economic situation. Scientists criticized the UK government’s strong push for with corona by issuing an open letter calling it a "dangerous and unethical experiment."

Meticulous and Gradual Transition Needed for Stable Response

There are also claims that it is still too early to move to with corona because if additional variants appear under with corona conditions, an uncontrollable large-scale epidemic could occur. Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, recently stated, "I believe a variant resistant to COVID-19 vaccines will emerge."

This is why there are calls for a ‘gradual transition’ to respond to unexpected future situations. Singapore is continuing with a gradual transition. Since last month, Singapore has moved away from lockdowns and contact tracing measures and decided to allow travel and large private gatherings. Gatherings of five or more people are fully permitted, and events with more than 500 people are allowed if participants are vaccinated and test negative. The reporting of new confirmed cases has also been discontinued.

However, Singapore’s with corona policy applies only to vaccinated individuals residing in the country. PCR testing is still required to enter Singapore, and a 10-day self-quarantine is mandatory. Unvaccinated individuals are still not allowed to gather in groups of three or more.

Jang Young-wook, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, said, "It is still difficult to say Singapore is truly with corona," adding, "The intention is to fully promote with corona once the vaccination rate sufficiently increases by the end of this month or early next month."

There is also an analysis that even if additional variants emerge in the future, they will not be dangerous enough to threaten the with corona system. Professor Kim Yoon of the Department of Medical Management at Seoul National University said, "Historically, even when variants have appeared, it has been rare for them to increase the fatality rate significantly," and predicted, "The number of confirmed cases will increase, but hospitalizations and deaths will not rise significantly, resembling a flu-like situation."

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