Jeong Eun-kyung "If the outbreak worsens, 10,000 confirmed cases and 1,900 severe cases possible this month"

On the 16th, when 7,622 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens who visited the drive-thru temporary screening clinic set up at Simsang Cultural Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, received queue numbers and waited to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The government urgently implemented strengthened 'social distancing' measures starting from the 18th, advancing the announcement time unusually early, based on the judgment that the current quarantine situation is continuously worsening.

On the morning of the 16th, Jeong Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), stated in a briefing on strengthened COVID-19 response measures that "if the outbreak worsens, about 10,000 confirmed cases could occur in December, and up to 20,000 cases in January next year." She added, "Regarding critically ill patients, if the outbreak continues, about 1,600 to 1,800 cases could occur in December, and if it worsens, up to 1,800 to 1,900 cases may occur."

Currently, the quarantine authorities regard the risk level as very high nationwide, in the metropolitan area, and in non-metropolitan areas. In particular, with the ICU bed occupancy rate and medical response capacity exceeding limits, all leading indicators sharply rising, and the domestic inflow and spread of the Omicron variant, the authorities evaluated that emergency measures are necessary to suppress the spread.

Medical staff are transferring a patient's bed in the intensive care unit of Pyeongtaek Bakae Hospital, a designated COVID-19 specialized hospital.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The medical and quarantine response capacity has practically reached its limit. The ICU bed occupancy rate in the metropolitan area is approaching 90%, and the ratio of confirmed cases to medical response capacity is 132.6%, already exceeding capacity. In non-metropolitan areas such as Gangwon, Chungbuk, and Daejeon, bed occupancy rates exceed 90%, rapidly depleting bed availability outside the metropolitan area as well. As of midnight on this day, the number of critically ill patients hospitalized was 989, nearing 1,000.

The weekly daily average number of confirmed cases in the third week of this month was 6,676, nearly four times higher than the 1,716 cases in the fourth week of October. Additionally, the number of confirmed cases reached 7,828, indicating a very rapid increase.

Especially, the number of confirmed cases among the high-risk elderly population aged 60 and above is rapidly increasing, causing a sharp rise in critically ill patients in this age group. Commissioner Jeong warned, "Confirmed cases among the elderly account for about 30% of the total, occurring at an average of 1,900 cases per day." Despite a high vaccination rate among those aged 60 and above, 7.4% (about 970,000 people) remain unvaccinated, accounting for 58% of deaths and 46% of critically ill patients in this age group.

The vaccination center at Dongsin Hospital in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul is bustling with citizens coming for their vaccine shots.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The spread among adolescents, whose vaccination rate has not yet reached a high level, is also at a dangerous level. Commissioner Jeong said, "The average daily confirmed cases among adolescents under 18 have exceeded 1,200," expressing concern that "the incidence rate among 12-15-year-olds, whose second-dose vaccination rate is still low at around 25%, is 2.3 times higher than that of 16-17-year-olds and 1.9 times higher than that of adults."

The notable spread of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron since its introduction into Korea is also considered a risk factor. As of midnight on this day, a total of 148 Omicron variant cases have been confirmed domestically, including 16 domestic infections and 4 imported cases, with 20 new cases added just the previous day.

Commissioner Jeong emphasized, "We have reached a critical turning point in the difficult process of restoring daily life," and stressed, "To wisely overcome this, it is most important to 'pause briefly' for the next two weeks to break the chain of infection transmission in the community and reduce the risk of infection." She also highlighted the necessity of the third dose vaccination to enhance immunity among those already vaccinated. Commissioner Jeong said, "We will shorten the minimum interval for the third dose to three months and designate December as the focused vaccination period for the elderly aged 60 and above, strengthening tailored promotion for the target groups."

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