Detection Rate Surpasses 50%... Omicron Becomes Dominant Variant

Confirmed Cases Double in One Week 'Doubling'
7,000 Cases for 3 Consecutive Days
Expected to Exceed 10,000 Soon
"Home Treatment Capacity to 60,000"

On the 24th, when 7,513 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens who visited the temporary screening clinic set up at Sogang University Station Plaza in Mapo-gu, Seoul, lined up to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporters Seo So-jeong and Lee Chun-hee] The Omicron COVID-19 variant has surpassed 50% of domestic COVID-19 infections in South Korea. With confirmed cases nearly doubling in just one week, a 'doubling' phenomenon has emerged, accelerating the spread even further. New confirmed cases have also recorded over 7,000 for three consecutive days, and are expected to exceed 10,000 soon.

Jeon Hae-cheol, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety), stated on the 24th, "Omicron infections have surged mainly in the Gyeonggi and Honam regions, bringing the domestic detection rate to about 50%." Following Jeonnam, Gwangju, Pyeongtaek, and Anseong, Omicron has become the dominant strain nationwide, exceeding 50% prevalence.

Jeon added, "To prepare for a further increase in daily confirmed cases, we will expand the number of local government-managed medical institutions to around 400 by the end of January to accommodate up to 60,000 home treatment patients, and outpatient treatment centers will be doubled in size by mid-February." He also emphasized, "We will establish a testing and treatment system that allows COVID-19 testing, treatment, prescriptions, and home treatment management to be conducted all at once at local clinics and hospitals."

The number of Omicron confirmed cases is rising sharply. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on this day, new confirmed cases reached 7,513, the highest Monday figure ever announced and the fourth highest daily total in history. This represents a 1.95-fold increase compared to 3,857 cases reported the previous Monday. The weekly average of locally transmitted cases also rose to 6,179.6, approaching the government's threshold of 7,000 weekly average local cases for transitioning to a nationwide Omicron response phase.

However, the number of severe and fatal cases remains low, leaving some capacity in the medical response system. Severe cases dropped to 418, the lowest since the phased daily recovery ('With COVID-19') began on November 8 last year. Deaths also decreased to 25 on this day, with a weekly average of 33. ICU occupancy rates fell to 19.7% nationwide and 20.1% in the metropolitan area, showing signs of stabilization. Nevertheless, considering that surges in severe and fatal cases typically occur about two weeks after a spike in confirmed cases, it is not yet a situation to be complacent about.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-cheol is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 24th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Experts point out that enhancing home treatment response capacity is urgent given Omicron's rapid spread. As of midnight on this day, the number of home treatment patients reached 28,864, nearing 30,000. Professor Jung Jae-hoon of Gachon University College of Medicine's Department of Preventive Medicine said, "At this rate, confirmed cases will exceed 10,000 even before the Lunar New Year holiday. Since population movement is active during the holiday, home treatment patients will surge afterward, so it is urgent to reinforce administrative personnel such as local governments and public health centers to strengthen response capacity."

Preparing self-diagnostic kits and over-the-counter medicines at home is also necessary to cope with a potential increase in home treatment patients to hundreds of thousands. Professor Cheon Eun-mi of Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital's Department of Respiratory Medicine stated, "When home treatment patients exceeded 30,000, anxiety increased due to the delayed distribution of self-diagnostic kits," and suggested, "The government should strengthen support systems so that households can stock and use self-diagnostic kits."

However, there are also calls for cautious approaches to distributing self-diagnostic kits. Professor Lee Hyuk-min of Severance Hospital's Department of Laboratory Medicine said, "While self-diagnostic kits can be somewhat helpful for symptomatic individuals, Omicron symptoms are mild enough that many do not recognize them," and warned, "False negatives from self-diagnostic kits could further spread Omicron." He added, "Compared to overseas, the spread of the Omicron variant in Korea is relatively slow, so it is important to keep the epidemic wave as low and slow as possible for now," and emphasized, "We must focus on managing high-risk groups and thoroughly prepare the medical response system to minimize severe and fatal cases."

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