Opening 'With Corona'... 2,667 Confirmed Cases in Just Over a Month

Unvaccinated Teens and High-Risk 60s in Focus
"Will Cases Surge Next Week?" Tense Vigilance

On the morning of the 2nd, citizens are lining up to get tested for COVID-19 at a temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Since the implementation of the 'Step-by-step Recovery of Daily Life (With Corona)' measures on the 1st, COVID-19 confirmed cases have been rapidly increasing. In particular, infections are concentrated among teenagers who have not yet been vaccinated and high-risk groups aged 60 and over, raising concerns.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 3rd, as of midnight, the daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 2,667. This is the highest number since September 29 (2,881), when the spread of the 4th wave began to ease. The weekly average of locally transmitted cases, a key indicator monitored by the government, also exceeded 2,000 for the first time in 26 days since the 8th of last month, reaching 2,030.6.

Authorities, noting that confirmed cases surged sharply overseas following the implementation of With Corona policies, say this was expected but remain vigilant. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum expressed on social media that "I had prepared myself to accept some increase in cases once daily life recovery began," but also admitted, "Seeing the number of confirmed cases jump so much in just three days, I could not sleep well at night." Due to the Halloween Day on the 31st of last month and the start of the step-by-step daily life recovery on the 1st, the actual increase in confirmed cases is likely to appear with about a one-week delay, so the number of cases is expected to rise sharply next week.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, diagnostic testing was conducted for all students at a high school in Nam-gu, Gwangju, where confirmed cases occurred. On the same day, elementary, middle, and high school students in Gwangju were consecutively diagnosed as confirmed cases.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, the spread is concentrated among teenagers who have only recently started vaccination and the elderly aged 60 and over, whose immunity is expected to wane after some time following vaccination. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, among the total 12,015 confirmed cases last week (October 24?30), 2,982 (24.8%) were aged 0?19, and 2,942 (24.5%) were aged 60 and over, together accounting for nearly half of all confirmed cases. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Accident Response Headquarters, analyzed in an interview on MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ that "Since vaccination is fundamentally impossible for students and younger age groups, the epidemic is naturally growing in this segment, and for those aged 60 and over, immunity is waning as time passes after vaccination."

However, the vaccination reservation rate for adolescents aged 12?15 is only 27.8% due to concerns about side effects, and only about 60,000 have completed booster shots to enhance immunity. The government recently allowed booster shots to be administered promptly to workers and residents of nursing hospitals, facilities, and psychiatric hospitals where breakthrough infections have increased, starting five months after completing vaccination. Previously, booster shots could only be received after six months.

Jeon Hae-cheol, 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (Minister of the Interior and Safety), said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on the morning of the 3rd, "We will form a government joint special inspection team and from tomorrow (the 4th), crack down on violations of quarantine rules at vulnerable facilities such as entertainment establishments, restaurants, cafes, and nursing facilities, while also providing guidance and education." He added, "We urge teenagers and seniors aged 60 and over to actively participate in vaccination and additional vaccinations."

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