Record High COVID-19 Cases Worldwide, Christmas Events Canceled... 'With Corona' at a Crossroads

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Chunhee Lee, Suhwan Kim] Due to concerns over the resurgence of COVID-19, major cities in Germany have canceled year-end Christmas events. The soprano singer Jo Sumi's performance, which was scheduled to be held in Vienna, the capital of Austria, was also canceled. Ireland, with a vaccination completion rate of 89.1%, strengthened quarantine measures again just over a month after implementing the 'gradual return to normal life (With COVID)' policy. In Korea, the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded over 3,000 for two consecutive days for the first time, while the number of critically ill patients hospitalized also remained in the 500s for the second day. There is an assessment that the With COVID policy, implemented alongside expanded vaccination, is at a crossroads.

According to Deutsche Welle on the 17th (local time), German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently said regarding the resurgence of COVID-19, "The fourth wave is hitting Germany hard," and "The number of new deaths is at a frightening level." Recently, the daily number of new cases in Germany has exceeded 50,000, the highest ever recorded.

In Hamburg, measures were taken to allow only fully vaccinated individuals to enter public facilities, and in Munich, the region's representative year-end event, the Christmas market, was completely canceled, strengthening quarantine measures again.

Austria recorded a record high of about 14,000 new cases, and since the 15th, it has restricted all outings for unvaccinated people except for commuting and grocery shopping. Additionally, various events have been restricted, including the cancellation of Jo Sumi's 35th anniversary world stage debut concert, which was scheduled to be held in Vienna on the 19th.

On the 12th, Ireland recorded 5,483 new daily cases, setting a new record since January. On that day, the government announced plans to ban operations after midnight for all restaurants and entertainment facilities starting from the 18th.

Belgium also plans to reintroduce mandatory indoor mask-wearing from the 20th and enforce remote work.

In response to these signs of COVID-19 resurgence, many countries are expanding mandatory booster shot policies. France plans to allow renewal of the vaccine pass (immunity certificate) only for adults aged 65 and over who have received a booster shot. Austria and Israel plan to limit the validity period of the vaccine pass to 9 months and 6 months, respectively, after completing two doses.

CNN evaluated, "From now on, only those who have received booster shots will be considered fully vaccinated," and "The definition of full vaccination is changing."

The domestic COVID-19 situation is also worsening day by day. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the 18th, the number of new COVID-19 cases reached a record high of 3,292.

This number surpasses the 3,270 recorded on September 25 and marks the first time that the number of new cases has remained in the 3,000s for two consecutive days, following 3,187 cases the previous day.

Particularly concerning is the concentration of cases in age groups with lower vaccine effectiveness. Among the 3,292 new cases as of midnight, 1,192 cases (36.2%) were among the high-risk elderly aged 60 and over, whose vaccine effectiveness has waned over time, and those aged 0-19, who are still in the process of vaccination, accounted for 19.1%. Combined, these two groups make up more than half of all new cases.

The number of critically ill patients hospitalized also remained in the 500s for the second consecutive day at 506. The ICU bed occupancy rate continues to rise. As of 5 p.m. on the 17th, the nationwide ICU bed occupancy rate was 63.8%, which is still at a stable level, but in the Seoul metropolitan area, it exceeded the 'emergency measure' threshold of 75%, reaching 78.2%. In particular, Seoul showed an occupancy rate of 80.9%, surpassing 80%, which is considered the stage of actual bed exhaustion.

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