"This Week Expected to Be the Fastest in COVID-19 Spread... Forecasted 230,000 to 240,000 Cases"

"This Week's Sharp Increase to Slow Down Starting Next Week"
"Next Pandemic Will Come Again... Due to Globalization"

Professor Jaehoon Jeong of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University predicted on the 21st that "the number of confirmed cases will increase sharply until this week, then the rate will slow down from next week."/Photo by CBS Kim Hyunjung's News Show YouTube channel capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Professor Jung Jae-hoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University predicted that "this week will be the fastest week in the (COVID-19) outbreak," expecting daily new confirmed cases to reach around 230,000 to 240,000.

On the 21st, Professor Jung appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and stated, "Assuming that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic testing system is maintained, after this week passes, the speed will gradually slow down, and within about two to three weeks, the public will feel that the peak has been reached."

He continued, regarding the Omicron variant, "Its transmissibility has increased significantly, but the fatality rate seems to be about twice that of seasonal influenza," adding, "Many government officials and experts say they are treating it like seasonal flu, but this is not because the risk level is the same as seasonal flu, but because there is no other option. Currently, due to limitations in medical capacity and response capabilities, we are inevitably forced to treat it like seasonal flu."

Regarding Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, who stated that another pandemic caused by a virus will occur after COVID-19, Professor Jung said, "I believe the next pandemic will definitely come. The important thing is what we have lost due to the response to this pandemic," and added, "I think what our society has lost includes trust in quarantine policies and an anti-intellectual stance toward science. It is very important to recover these lost aspects before the next pandemic arrives."

He also said, "I feel that the cycle of large-scale infectious disease outbreaks is getting shorter and the scale is getting larger," adding, "One of the reasons, I believe, is globalization. When a virus emerges in one region, it only took about two to three months for it to spread worldwide, as seen with COVID-19."

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