Government: "Increase in Confirmed Cases Will Continue for a While... Expected to Reach a Balance Point After a Certain Time" (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] As the number of new COVID-19 cases surged to the 2,600 range on the 3rd, the government forecasted that this increasing trend would continue for the time being following the implementation of 'gradual daily recovery.' However, considering overseas cases, they expressed the view that it is important to determine when the scale of confirmed cases will reach a balance after a certain point in time.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, explained at the COVID-19 regular briefing on the 3rd, "Today, the effect of reduced testing volume over the weekend has disappeared, so the number of confirmed cases increased significantly," adding, "The 7-day average shows about 2,030.4 domestic cases."

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the day, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases increased by 2,667, bringing the cumulative total to 370,640. Of these, 2,640 were domestic cases and 27 were imported. The 2,667 new cases represent the fourth-largest number ever recorded, and this is the first time since January 20 of last year, when the first domestic COVID-19 case was confirmed, that the number of confirmed cases increased by more than 1,000 compared to the previous day.

Son said, "Even considering the reduced testing volume over the weekend, the current scale of confirmed cases is on a continuous upward trend," and added, "As we transition to gradual daily recovery and relax quarantine rules, various gatherings, appointments, and social activities are becoming more active, increasing personal contacts, so the rise in confirmed cases is an inevitable phenomenon."

Sustained Increase in COVID-19 Cases Among Teenagers... Efforts Needed for Quarantine Management in Schools and Academies

On the 2nd, citizens are looking at Young-hee, the robotic doll from the Netflix drama "Squid Game," installed at the 88 Lawn Square in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Since its release on September 17, Squid Game has gained global popularity, ranking first in 83 countries where Netflix is available. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

It is predicted that the increase in confirmed cases will continue for the time being as social contact becomes more active.

Son stated, "What is important is whether our medical system can sufficiently handle the proportion of severe cases, current hospitalization demand, and severe patient treatment demand," and reported, "Among the 1,011 intensive care units, the number of severe cases as of today is 378, indicating that the medical system's capacity is maintaining a relatively stable situation."

He emphasized, "The future trend will be very important," adding, "Especially, the scale of infections directly related to the medical system's capacity is more about the number of confirmed cases among the elderly and unvaccinated rather than the total number of confirmed cases, so we will continue to strive to minimize this part through quarantine management."

Furthermore, Son mentioned that looking at overseas cases of daily recovery, the number of confirmed cases continuously increases but eventually reaches a balance point, marking a turning point. He explained, "In some countries, the direction of easing daily life is sometimes halted or reversed, and after a certain increase, a balance is found where the epidemic size no longer grows or slightly decreases."

Son said, "In our case, although the government has relaxed various quarantine rules, as vaccination rates continue to rise and the public adheres well to quarantine measures such as mask-wearing, ventilation, and handwashing, we expect to reach a certain balance point after some time," adding, "This is necessary to continue daily recovery."

He also predicted that the recent increase in confirmed cases among teenagers will continue. Son said, "Teenagers often live in groups such as schools and academies and are socially active, but their vaccination rate is very low, so immunity is not yet formed," and forecasted, "During the gradual daily recovery process, the risk of infection will inevitably increase, and the rise in cases based on teenagers will continue."

He continued, "In countries that have taken the lead in daily recovery, infection rates among adolescents are also continuously increasing," and added, "While recommending vaccination for adolescents, it is important to make efforts to thoroughly manage quarantine in spaces where students mainly spend time, such as schools and academies, to minimize risks."

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