Ahead of the '2-Year Pandemic' Mark, the Biggest Crisis... US and Europe Report Record High COVID-19 Cases

On the 28th, citizens are undergoing diagnostic tests at the temporary screening clinic in the Peace Gate Plaza of Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the same day, the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases was recorded at 3,865. The number of confirmed cases in the 3,000 range was reported for the first time in 28 days since the 30th of last month (3,032 cases). Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy reporters Seulgina Jo and Hyunui Cho] Just days before the two-year mark of the pandemic, countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy are experiencing record-breaking numbers of new COVID-19 cases. The rapid spread of the highly contagious new Omicron variant coincides with Christmas gatherings and year-end holidays. In Korea, the number of new Omicron cases has surpassed 100 for the first time.

According to Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., as of the 28th (local time), the number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States was recorded at 512,553. This is the highest daily number since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The previous record was 294,015 on January 8. The conservative 7-day average of daily cases also set a new record at 254,496. Concerns are mounting that the daily case count in the U.S. could soon reach the one million mark.

The situation in Europe, where the Omicron variant is rapidly spreading, is no different. On the same day, the United Kingdom (129,471), France (179,807), Italy (78,313), and Greece (21,657) reported their highest number of new COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began. Notably, these countries broke their previous records in less than a week, heightening concerns about the recent surge. In Greece, the number of cases doubled in just one day.

This surge is largely due to the new Omicron variant. In effect, the Omicron onslaught is striking the world. According to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the same day, as of the 25th, Omicron infections accounted for 58.6% of cases over the past seven days. Additionally, more than three out of five new cases in Europe are identified as Omicron infections.

If this trend continues, there are growing concerns that the world will face a "harsh" first month of the new year. Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health in the U.S., predicted, "January will be a very, very difficult time." Catherine Smallwood, WHO Europe COVID-19 Situation Manager, pointed out that "in addition to the healthcare system, widespread disruption could occur."

Meanwhile, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that as of midnight on the 29th, there were 5,409 new COVID-19 cases. This is the first time in three days that the daily count has returned to the 5,000 range. The number of critically ill patients reached a record high of 1,151. An additional 109 Omicron variant infections were confirmed, bringing the cumulative total to 558.

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