Son Young-rae "Mid-2000s confirmed cases expected this week... Breakthrough infections < Unvaccinated confirmed cases"

On the morning of the 2nd, a citizen is undergoing a COVID-19 test at a temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Health authorities expect the number of COVID-19 cases to increase following the implementation of 'gradual daily recovery (With Corona),' forecasting that cases will rise to the mid-2000s this week. Regarding the recent increase in breakthrough infections, they emphasized that this is an inevitable phenomenon due to the increase in vaccinated individuals, and that there are still more confirmed cases among the unvaccinated.

On the 3rd, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "We expect the number of confirmed cases to reach around the mid-2000s this week," adding, "As quarantine rules are relaxed, various gatherings and appointments are increasing, so the overall scale of the outbreak is bound to continue growing." Regarding Halloween Day on the 31st of last month, he also said, "People drink alcohol and eat food while gathering, and especially indoors, the risk increases, so the impact will naturally be there."

In response to concerns that many recent cases are occurring among teenagers and those aged 60 and above, Son explained that for teenagers, "Vaccination is fundamentally impossible for students and younger age groups, so the spread in this group is naturally increasing." Regarding the elderly, he said, "Since some time has passed since they received their vaccinations, the immunity effect from the vaccine is also likely to have decreased."

Regarding the continuously increasing breakthrough infections, he said, "About 75% of people have completed vaccination, so the proportion of infections among vaccinated individuals in the total confirmed cases is inevitably rising," emphasizing, "Although about 25% of the population is unvaccinated, 70% of the total confirmed cases come from the unvaccinated group." He added, "The main cause of the increase in breakthrough infections is more likely related to timing rather than the type of vaccine," noting, "It has been found that vaccine effectiveness decreases after about six months."

Son also actively recommended seasonal flu vaccination amid concerns about a 'twindemic' caused by the seasonal flu outbreak. He said, "The simultaneous occurrence of seasonal flu is unavoidable from a seasonal perspective," and added that last year, since the public adhered well to quarantine measures such as wearing masks and handwashing, the flu outbreak was minimal, so "we hope for the same this year." However, he noted that the flu vaccination rate is "slightly lower than last year," emphasizing, "Since the elderly are at risk, we are promoting that they also receive the seasonal flu vaccination."

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