"Omicron Outbreak Situation Rapidly Changing" ... New Daily Cases Near '100,000' Again Today

Predicted 130,000 to 170,000 Cases Per Day from Late February to Early March

On the 16th, when 90,443 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens visiting the screening clinic set up at Songpa-gu Public Health Center in Seoul were waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the Omicron variant spreads and the COVID-19 pandemic approaches its peak, the daily number of new confirmed cases is nearing 100,000.

According to data compiled by local governments on the 17th, from midnight to 9 p.m. the previous day, a total of 90,228 people tested positive for COVID-19 across 17 cities and provinces nationwide.

This is the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak that over 90,000 cases have been recorded by 9 p.m. Compared to the 90,443 new cases reported throughout the entire previous day, this is only 215 fewer. Compared to 85,114 cases at the same time on the 15th, it is 5,114 more.

Including additional cases reported up to midnight, it is expected that the total number of new confirmed cases for the day will reach the mid-to-high 90,000s, possibly approaching 100,000.

The daily new case count first surpassed 10,000 on the 26th of last month, exceeded 20,000 on the 2nd of this month, rose to the 30,000s on the 5th, 40,000s on the 9th, and 50,000s on the 10th, maintaining over 50,000 for six consecutive days. On the 16th, it jumped directly to the 90,000s in a single day, and then approached 100,000 again the following day.

With the number of new cases nearly doubling almost every week, this trend suggests that by the end of this month, the daily case count could approach 200,000.

The government, synthesizing expert forecasts, expects daily cases to reach between 130,000 and 170,000 by the end of this month, while the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences predicts a maximum of 360,000 cases in early next month. The current figures are rapidly approaching these projections.

However, authorities remain cautious about when the Omicron wave will peak. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) stated in a briefing the previous day, "The Omicron situation is changing rapidly, so more observation is needed to predict the timing and scale of the peak."

Professor Jung Jae-hoon of Gachon University College of Medicine’s Department of Preventive Medicine said, "If the PCR testing system is well maintained, the peak of the outbreak will likely be in early March, and it will take an additional 2 to 3 weeks for cases to decline. The daily case count could reach close to 200,000 in early March."

The number of critically ill patients, which was in the 200s last week, has increased to the 300s this week. Analysts suggest that the recent surge in confirmed cases has begun to impact the rise in critically ill patients. KDCA Commissioner Jung Eun-kyung stated during a KBS emergency briefing on the 14th, "The next 2 to 3 weeks will be a critical period," emphasizing close monitoring of the severe case situation.

The government will finalize and announce adjustments to social distancing measures on the 18th after a meeting of the Recovery Support Committee on the 17th. They are considering easing restrictions from "private gatherings of 6 people and business hours until 9 p.m." to "8 people and 10 p.m." However, with daily cases reaching 100,000, they are carefully deliberating the level of adjustment.

Sohn Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "There are conflicting opinions and various issues regarding social distancing adjustments. We need to comprehensively consider factors such as the scale of confirmed cases, the number of critically ill patients, healthcare system capacity, and social and economic impacts."

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