2124 Students in Seoul Confirmed Positive in One Week... 674 More Than Previous Week

Family infections most common at 37.1%, school infections also 24.4%
Confirmed case rates by student number: elementary > middle > kindergarten > high school
Kindergarten cases 3.6 times higher than 3rd week of November, elementary cases 2.4 times higher

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The number of student COVID-19 cases reported in Seoul over the past week reached 2,124, an increase of 674 compared to the previous week.

On the 14th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that from the 6th to the 12th, there were 2,124 confirmed student cases and 206 confirmed staff cases, totaling 2,330. This is an increase of 776 from the previous week. The daily average number of confirmed cases also rose from 222 to 333.

The infection routes for confirmed cases were primarily family transmission (37.1%), followed by in-school transmission (24.4%), and out-of-school transmission (9.8%). Cases with unknown infection routes accounted for 28.7%. The proportion of in-school infections slightly decreased compared to the previous week (25.0%).

The infection rates relative to the total number of students by school level were ▲Elementary school 28.6% ▲Middle school 25.1% ▲Kindergarten 24.2% ▲High school grade 3 (senior year) 12.1% ▲High school grades 1-2 10.4%.

The infection rate among kindergarten students increased 3.6 times compared to the third week of November (6.7%), and among elementary students, it rose 2.4 times from 11.9% to 28.6% during the same period. The increase was particularly notable among children under 12 who are unvaccinated. For high school seniors (grade 3), the rate increased 3.9 times compared to the third week of November (3.1%).

While the total number of confirmed cases in Seoul remains in the high 2,000s, the proportion of confirmed cases reported by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education rose by 1.1 percentage points to 12.6% compared to last week.

There were four major cluster infection cases. At Kindergarten A, after an infection at a Taekwondo center, 20 additional students tested positive, resulting in a total of 21 cluster infections. At Elementary School B, 14 students tested positive following the onset of suspected symptoms; Middle School C had 11 additional cases, and School D reported 13 new confirmed cases.

As confirmed cases emerged across Seoul, 79.6% of schools conducted in-person classes as of the 8th. By school level, attendance rates were ▲Elementary 87.9% ▲Middle 77.0% ▲High school 66.6%. Starting November 22, in Seoul’s oversized and overcrowded schools, students in grades 3 to 6 of elementary school can attend at least three-quarters of classes, and middle and high school students can attend at least two-thirds of classes in person.

The Ministry of Education will implement a 'Visiting Vaccination' program starting on the 15th. Vaccination plans will be established by region, promoting school visit vaccinations, health center visits, and designated vaccinations at entrusted medical institutions. Vaccines will be allocated and administered according to these plans.

From the 6th to the 12th, a survey on the self-diagnosis app targeting guardians of 12- to 17-year-olds regarding the 'Visiting Vaccination' showed that out of 498,062 respondents, 83,928 (28.9%) wished to receive the vaccine. This accounts for only 6.9% of the total unvaccinated and unregistered youth population, including out-of-school youth. The proportion of those who did not want vaccination or preferred individual vaccination was 71.1% (206,095 people).

Kim Gyu-tae, Deputy Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated, "Infections among children and adolescents are spreading faster than expected, creating a serious situation that cannot be taken lightly. We cannot revert to previous restrictions just because it is difficult now after having achieved full in-person schooling with great effort."

Deputy Superintendent Kim emphasized, "Vaccination of students is essential not only for the students themselves but also for their families, friends, the stable resumption of in-person classes at schools, and the recovery of our society’s daily life."

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