2109 Student COVID-19 Cases in Seoul Over a Week... Only 2 Districts Conduct School Vaccinations (Comprehensive)

15 Fewer Student Confirmed Cases Compared to Previous Week
As of the 20th, Only 69.5% of Seoul Students Attend School
Full Return to School Policy Maintained for March Next Year
Visiting Vaccinations and School Visit Vaccinations Conducted at Two Locations
Low Demand Leads to Higher Use of Consignment Medical Institutions and Individual Vaccinations

On the 17th, students at a middle school located in Jungnang-gu were waiting to receive COVID-19 vaccinations from medical staff who visited the school as part of the "Visiting Vaccination" program. (Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The number of confirmed student cases in Seoul over the past week was 2,109, a decrease of 15 compared to the previous week. With the end of full in-person attendance after four weeks and the conclusion of final exams, the number of students attending school is expected to decrease, leading to a reduction in confirmed cases.

On the 21st, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that from the 13th to the 19th, the number of confirmed cases among kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school students was 2,109, and among staff was 206, totaling 2,315. The daily average number of confirmed cases slightly decreased from 333 to 330.

Kim Gyutae, Deputy Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said, "The proportion of students attending school decreased compared to last week, and we expect that next week the infections caused by in-person attendance so far will decrease, leading to a larger reduction."

The infection routes for confirmed cases are primarily family infections (37.0%), followed by in-school infections (24.5%), and out-of-school infections (9.6%). Cases with unknown infection routes account for 28.9%. In-school infections totaled 518, an increase of 5 from the previous week.

With the end of full in-person attendance after four weeks, the number of students attending school was 573,171 (69.5%), down 20.3 percentage points from last week (87.8%). As of the 20th, the attendance rates by school level were ▲Elementary 77.7% ▲Middle 62.6% ▲High 61.1%. More than half of middle and high schools are conducting final exams this week, so the number of students attending school is expected to decrease further from next week.

The Ministry of Education and metropolitan and provincial offices of education maintain the existing policy to promote full in-person attendance starting March next year.

Deputy Superintendent Kim said, "While implementing full in-person attendance in the second semester, we have been preparing projects for educational recovery in January and February next year. Amid planning for full in-person attendance, the rapid increase in confirmed cases led to various measures. Once the situation stabilizes, we will prepare multiple supplementary measures to ensure that school operations based on full in-person attendance can proceed so that parents can feel reassured."

The infection rates relative to the total number of students by school level are ▲Elementary School 31.2% ▲Middle School 19.4% ▲Kindergarten 24.2% ▲High School Grades 1-2 12.7% ▲High School Grade 3 10.0%. Compared to last week's rates, only elementary students (28.6%) and high school grades 1-2 (10.4%) showed an increase, while the others decreased.

There were a total of three cluster infection cases. At A Elementary School, after a confirmed case occurred at a nearby Taekwondo center on the 8th, 12 related contacts were confirmed positive. At B Elementary School, following the initial confirmed case on the 9th, 23 students and 1 staff member were additionally confirmed, totaling 25 cluster infections. At C Middle School, after a confirmed case on the 15th, 9 additional students tested positive, increasing the total to 10 confirmed cases.

Deputy Superintendent Kim explained, "Although the number of student confirmed cases decreased slightly compared to last week, the incidence rate remains high. The proportion of in-school infections increased by 0.4% compared to two weeks ago, but with an average incidence rate around 25%, it is understood that confirmed cases are not significantly increasing through schools."

On the 17th, a student at a middle school in Jungnang-gu received a COVID-19 vaccination from medical staff who visited the school as part of the "Visiting Vaccination" program. (Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education)

Seoul's mobile vaccination is being conducted in coordination with schools in each autonomous district. On the 17th, 47 students at a middle school in Jungnang-gu received vaccinations at school. Many schools use two or more methods among school visit vaccinations, public health center visit vaccinations, and designated medical institution vaccinations. Designated medical institution vaccination refers to a method where the school designates a hospital for vaccination and provides guidance.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, ▲School visit vaccinations are conducted in 3 districts (Jungnang-gu, Eunpyeong-gu, Gwanak-gu), ▲Public health center visit vaccinations in 4 districts (Guro-gu, Geumcheon-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seongdong-gu), and ▲Designated medical institution vaccinations in 8 districts (Yeongdeungpo-gu, Dobong-gu, Nowon-gu, Gangdong-gu, Songpa-gu, Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu, Gwanak-gu). In 18 districts with low demand for visit vaccinations, individual vaccinations are provided.

Ham Hyesung, Director of Lifelong Career Education at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, explained, "School visit vaccinations have been conducted at two schools, and eight districts are using two or more vaccination methods. Relatively, Seoul has good accessibility to hospitals and vaccination institutions, so individual vaccinations or visiting designated medical institutions are more common than group vaccinations."

Meanwhile, starting from the 20th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education adjusted school density to two-thirds for all grades except elementary grades 1-2. This also applies to middle and high schools. However, full in-person attendance can be maintained considering local infection situations and academic schedules. Group and mobile classes should be avoided, and face-to-face events inside and outside schools should be refrained from.

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