Due to the massive spread of the 'Omicron variant'... New confirmed cases expected to exceed 170,000 today

By 9 PM Last Night, Over 158,000 People... Around 160,000 to 170,000 by Midnight
The Government Expects 'Endemic Management'... Experts Warn of 'Premature Forecasts'

On the 22nd, when 99,573 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens who visited the temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza were waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Due to the Omicron variant surge, the daily number of new COVID-19 cases is on the verge of surpassing 170,000. The government expects that as the outbreak peaks and subsides, COVID-19 will become endemic; however, there are also calls for caution in forecasting the epidemic situation.

Number of confirmed cases exceeds 150,000 by 9 PM

According to local governments on the 23rd, from midnight to 9 PM the previous day, a total of 158,005 people tested positive for COVID-19 across 17 cities and provinces nationwide.

Compared to 97,935 cases recorded by 9 PM the day before (the 21st), this is an increase of 60,070 cases, jumping rapidly into the 150,000 range. Including additional cases recorded until midnight, the newly confirmed cases announced that day are likely to approach or exceed 170,000.

New confirmed cases surpassed 20,000 on the 2nd, 30,000 on the 5th, 40,000 on the 9th, 50,000 on the 10th, 90,000 on the 16th, and 100,000 on the 18th. They had maintained a range of 90,000 to 100,000 over the past week but showed a sudden surge in just one day.

This is interpreted as a rapid increase in confirmed cases starting Monday the 21st, after the weekend, as the number of diagnostic tests at public health centers and other testing sites returned to weekday levels. On Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th, diagnostic tests at screening clinics were approximately 212,000 and 296,000 respectively, but on the 21st, testing doubled to 580,000.

The positivity rate among those tested reached 33.7%, meaning one in three people tested positive. The positivity rate has surged from 21.7% on the 19th, 23.5% on the 20th, 30.6% on the 21st, to 33.7% on the 22nd, indicating widespread Omicron transmission in the community. Additionally, about half of the infected individuals are asymptomatic, suggesting a significant number of 'hidden infections' unknowingly spreading the virus in daily life.

With new confirmed cases nearly doubling weekly, if this trend continues, predictions suggest daily cases could exceed 200,000 by the end of this month. Domestic and international research institutions forecast that the Omicron wave in Korea will peak by the end of this month or next, with daily new cases at the peak ranging from 140,000 to 270,000. Infectious disease experts also expect that the maximum number of PCR-confirmed infections per day will be around 200,000.

Government: "Omicron is in the early stage of becoming endemic"

Although the Omicron wave has not yet peaked, the government expresses optimism that COVID-19 will become endemic.

Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team, said at a briefing the previous day, "Currently, we are in the early stage of transitioning to an endemic management system while continuously assessing the risk of Omicron," adding, "If we can maintain a low fatality rate and manage the outbreak steadily, ultimately, Omicron response can be integrated into the management system used for other infectious diseases."

This is based on the fact that Omicron's fatality rate (0.18%) and severe case rate (0.38%) are only about one-quarter of those of the Delta variant, and that the fatality rate among those under 50 who have completed three vaccine doses is close to '0%.'

Park emphasized, "This Omicron wave is a short-term crisis but a necessary process to restore daily life in the mid to long term. If we minimize severe cases and deaths and preserve the healthcare system while managing the outbreak well, it will be an opportunity to return to normal life."

However, experts point out that since COVID-19 is still in a widespread pandemic phase and predicting the peak or scale of the outbreak remains difficult, it is premature to discuss endemic status.

Baek Soon-young, emeritus professor at the Catholic University College of Medicine, said, "Only when the increase in cases slows and we are confident the peak has passed, and when management of severe cases and securing hospital beds remain stable even with over one million patients under home treatment, can we talk about endemicity."

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