Lee Jae-gap "Omicron Peak Likely Delayed by 1-2 Weeks... Presidential Election and Rallies May Also Have Impact"

"Government-level message delivery was also insufficient"
"Need to consider how to prepare the medical system"

On the 14th, medical staff at Seoul Medical Center are transferring COVID-19 confirmed patients to hospital rooms. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Professor Lee Jae-gap, an infectious disease specialist at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital who has repeatedly voiced opposition to the government's easing of quarantine measures, warned that the peak of the current COVID-19 wave could be delayed by about 1 to 2 weeks compared to initial expectations. This is due to the relaxation of social distancing measures around the time of the 20th presidential election and the spread of the so-called 'Stealth Omicron' variant, which is difficult to detect with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

In an interview with TBS Traffic Broadcasting's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" on the 14th, Professor Lee pointed out, "During the 4th wave, the increase curve started to flatten slightly from the week before the peak, and then declined after reaching the peak. However, last week, even after surpassing 300,000 daily confirmed cases, the curve continued to rise."

Professor Lee Jae-gap, Department of Infectious Diseases, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, who served as an advisory member of the COVID-19 Daily Recovery Support Committee and stepped down from the position on the 16th of last month / Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on that day, the number of new COVID-19 cases was recorded at 309,790. This represents an approximately 1.47-fold increase compared to 210,716 cases on the 7th, a week earlier, continuing the rapid spread.

Regarding this, Professor Lee said, "The election may have had an impact, and the fact that various gatherings were held nationwide likely contributed to the spread of infections. Social distancing was also relaxed around the election period, and the government lacked sufficient messaging to reduce people's movement."

He added, "The peak of the wave could be delayed by about 1 to 2 weeks. If that happens, it is time to seriously start considering how to prepare the medical system."

In particular, Professor Lee warned that the BA.2 variant, known as 'Stealth Omicron,' is spreading in South Korea and several other countries.

He explained, "The concerning part is that countries in Europe, including the UK, which were in a declining phase, are now showing an upward curve again because BA.2, the Stealth Omicron, has become dominant. In South Korea, the detection rate of Stealth Omicron is continuously increasing. Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the peak will be delayed or that the scale of the wave will become larger."

The health authorities had predicted that the Omicron-driven wave would peak by the 23rd. At a regular COVID-19 briefing on the 14th, Jeong Eun-kyeong, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said, "It is predicted that infections will begin to decline around the 23rd. Although the prediction is subject to change, we will use the forecast results to guide future quarantine responses and strategy planning."

Medical staff conducting a COVID-19 rapid antigen test / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the government is considering easing quarantine guidelines within this week. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at a briefing that "We will begin to seriously review easing quarantine measures this week. It is too early to specify the direction, but we will start the process of gathering opinions and holding various meetings."

The current quarantine guidelines, which have been in effect since the 5th, include a maximum of 6 people for private gatherings and restrictions on operating hours for multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes until 11 p.m. These measures are set to remain in place until the 20th.

Meanwhile, Professor Lee, who served as an advisory member of the COVID-19 Daily Recovery Support Committee, resigned from his position on the 16th of last month in protest against the government's easing of quarantine measures.

Two days after resigning from the advisory committee, on the 18th of last month, he warned in a radio interview, "The fact that such easing messages are coming from the government is actually a big problem. If the scale of the Omicron wave becomes too large, the number of severe cases will inevitably increase accordingly. Since we cannot predict the situation at the peak, we are also unable to forecast how many severe cases there will be."

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