Authorities: "Cannot Lower Vigilance on Omicron... Even with Lower Severity and Fatality Rates, High Infectivity Means the Scale of Damage Remains the Same"

First Omicron Death Confirmed in Gwangju... 90s Nursing Hospital Resident

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 rapidly spreads and becomes dominant worldwide, analyses suggest that Omicron may be less virulent than the original COVID-19 virus. However, our authorities believe that even if the virulence is lower, the faster transmission rate could have a greater negative impact on the healthcare system and quarantine measures, so they remain vigilant. Following overseas cases, the first death caused by the Omicron variant has been confirmed domestically.

Son Young-rae of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said during a COVID-19 briefing on the morning of the 3rd, "We are quite tense as we consider that Omicron could actually be more dangerous than Delta," expressing concern that "the total number of deaths (due to Omicron) could increase."

Director Son emphasized, "The damage caused by COVID-19 should be evaluated by multiplying the scale of infection by the rates of severe cases and fatality," adding, "Even if the severe case rate drops to 50%, if the scale of infection doubles, the actual damage remains the same." This means that even if Omicron’s severity and fatality rates are lower, the faster transmission speed could lead to an increase not only in total confirmed cases but also in severe cases and deaths due to the spread of Omicron.

He added, "At present, there are no definite factors to assess that the severity of damage caused by Omicron is lower than that of Delta," and "We are carefully discussing various aspects, considering the possibility that actual damage could increase."

Following overseas reports, concerns are growing as the first death of a patient infected with the Omicron variant has been confirmed domestically. According to authorities, two people in their 90s who were hospitalized at a nursing hospital in Nam-gu, Gwangju, tested positive for COVID-19 and died on the 27th and 29th of last month while receiving treatment. However, among the two deceased, one was confirmed to be infected with Omicron, while the other is classified as an 'epidemiologically related person' and has not yet been confirmed as infected with Omicron. Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters’ quarantine team, explained, "This is the first death case caused by Omicron," and "It is a case of death due to a COVID-19 cluster infection after admission to a nursing hospital."

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