"COVID-19 Peak Expected by Next Week" ... Accelerating Transition of Patient Treatment System

Health Authorities: "Possibility of Decline After Peak in 2 Weeks"
Confirmed Cases Diagnosed Using Expert-Only Rapid Antigen Tests
Decision to Be Finalized After Tomorrow's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Review

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] As the daily number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 300,000 for the second consecutive day, health authorities predicted that the peak period would continue until next week before possibly declining.

Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing on the 10th, "We believe we are currently at the peak of infections," adding, "We expect to pass the peak within the next two weeks."

As of midnight on the same day, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 327,549, bringing the cumulative total to 5,539,650. The number of new cases exceeded 300,000 for two consecutive days, following the previous day's record high of 342,438. Earlier, health authorities had predicted, based on projections from various research institutions, that new cases could reach 354,000 on the 12th of this month, marking the peak.

Lee explained, "We judge that the peak is likely to occur next week," but added, "It is more reasonable to describe the peak as a rounded peak period rather than a sharp point."

He further stated, "Including this week, we consider the next two weeks as the peak period, and after that, we expect the possibility of a decline."

The reorganization of the quarantine system to allow confirmation of cases solely through professional rapid antigen tests is expected to be finalized through a review by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters tomorrow. With the surge in new cases, the capacity for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing is also reaching its limit. The maximum PCR testing capacity initially announced by health authorities is about 850,000 tests per day. If this capacity is exceeded, the time from testing to confirmation notification will exceed 24 hours.

In response, on the 7th, Jeong Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, "We are preparing a plan to classify patients as infectious disease cases based on positive results from professional rapid antigen tests to enable prompt diagnosis and treatment, allowing early prescription and treatment." Currently, even if a professional or self-test rapid antigen test is positive, confirmation requires a positive PCR test.

Health authorities explained that even if confirmation is made solely through professional rapid antigen tests, they do not expect a significant increase in the peak scale. Lee said, "The scale of the outbreak is determined through mathematical modeling, and the type of test used is not a factor considered."

Regarding measures to address cases where rapid antigen tests are positive but PCR tests are negative, he explained, "Currently, if the rapid antigen test is positive, the likelihood of a subsequent positive PCR test is very high, over 90-95%. Even if there is some margin of error, overall, it is not expected to be significantly incorrect." He added, "For elderly individuals or those with underlying conditions, we recommend proceeding directly with PCR testing rather than rapid antigen tests."

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