"Omicron to Become Dominant Strain Within One to Two Months...Risk of Underestimating Mild Symptoms (Update)"

As COVID-19 cases increased, the first weekend with strengthened social distancing measures saw the streets near Hongdaeipgu Station in Seoul crowded with citizens on the 19th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The quarantine authorities have predicted that the COVID-19 Omicron variant could become the dominant strain in South Korea within the next one to two months.

Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), stated at a regular briefing on the 20th, "There is a possibility that Omicron will become the dominant strain in South Korea within about one to two months," adding, "If preventive measures are thoroughly implemented, this could be slightly delayed."

The Omicron variant is currently spreading very rapidly worldwide. In London, UK, it is estimated that 80% of new cases are Omicron, while in France, the figure is about 10%. The Omicron variant has been confirmed in 34,085 people across 91 countries.

In South Korea, since the first confirmation on the 30th of last month, it has rapidly spread to nine cities and provinces. Since the end of last month, a total of 178 Omicron infections have been confirmed domestically, and including 10 suspected cases, the total number of Omicron-related cases is 188.

Lee said, "It is dangerous to be optimistic about the Omicron variant due to mild symptoms, and a more accurate assessment of severity is still needed," explaining, "The government is maintaining current measures such as entry restrictions to block overseas inflow and delay transmission speed, while promoting rapid administration of the third vaccine dose."

According to the CDCH, since the end of last month, there have been 54 cases of Omicron variant imported from overseas, and 134 cases confirmed as community transmission through three overseas importation events. The age distribution of confirmed cases was 26.7% under 20 years old and 66.3% between their 20s and 50s. The estimated infection locations were 28.9% overseas infections and 71.1% domestic infections.

At diagnosis, 19.8% were asymptomatic. Among symptomatic cases, initial symptoms included fever, sore throat, and cough, and all currently remain in mild condition. Additionally, clinical monitoring of 30 patients hospitalized at a specific medical institution confirmed pneumonia in five patients. However, Park Young-jun, head of the CDCH Epidemiological Investigation Team, explained, "Although pneumonia was present, the clinical course did not worsen."

Lee stated, "The average incubation period of the Omicron variant was analyzed to be 3.6 days, and the average generation time was 3.1 days, which is shorter than the Delta variant's average incubation period of 3 to 5 days and average generation time of 2.9 to 6.3 days," adding, "The secondary attack rate among confirmed patients' families was 44.7%, which is more than twice as high compared to about 20% for the Delta variant."

Meanwhile, the number of Omicron-infected individuals in South Korea who have received booster shots has increased to five. Among these five, three received the Janssen vaccine initially and then got a booster. Of the remaining two, one completed the primary vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine and received a Pfizer booster, and the other received three doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

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