Increase in confirmed cases... Government says "Risky in short term, positive in mid to long term"

Omicron with Low Fatality Rate,
Also a Positive Factor for Long-Term Return to Normal Life

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] The government has judged that although the surge in confirmed cases is risky in the short term, it can contribute to stabilization in the long term.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a regular briefing on the 23rd, "If confirmed cases surge in the short term, the absolute number of severe cases and deaths can also increase, which is dangerous," but added, "In the mid to long term, since Omicron, which has a significantly lower fatality rate compared to Delta, is spreading, it can be seen as a positive factor for the recovery of daily life."

In a situation where the Omicron variant with a low severity rate has become dominant, after going through a large-scale outbreak once, the number of people who have acquired natural immunity in addition to those who have gained immunity through vaccination will greatly increase, which can slow down the spread.

Son said, "It is important how we will experience the outbreak while keeping severe patients and deaths within a manageable range," and explained, "So far, in addition to the characteristics of Omicron itself, we are minimizing severe patients and deaths through a stable medical system."

He added, "To maintain a stable trend, it is necessary to strengthen the protection system focusing on high-risk groups along with vaccination, and to reorganize the system to concentrate quarantine and medical resources on minimizing severity and mortality."

The government plans to monitor the overall trend of the outbreak and adjust the scope of application for the quarantine pass (vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system) currently applied to some multi-use facilities.

Son said, "Adjustment plans for the quarantine pass or 'social distancing' will be considered comprehensively by reviewing the progress of the Omicron outbreak, the timing of reaching its peak, and the subsequent transition to a decline."

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