One in Five New COVID-19 Cases Worldwide Is a 'Korean'... Government Says "Peak of the Outbreak Next Week"

Ranked No.1 in Daily Confirmed Cases in Global Statistics
Death Toll Ranking Also Gradually Rising
Government "Predicts Decline Around the 23rd"
Some Voices Call for Caution
Lee Jae-gap "Peak May Be Delayed by 1-2 Weeks"

COVID-19 Testing Line / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The daily number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea accounts for about one-fifth of the global total. As the pandemic caused by the Omicron variant reaches its peak, more than 300,000 new cases are being reported daily.

According to data from the global statistics site 'Worldometer' as of midnight on the 14th (local time), South Korea recorded 309,769 new confirmed cases on that day.

The worldwide number of new cases was 1,143,140, with South Korea accounting for 21.6% of the total. Earlier, on the 12th, South Korea reported a record high of 383,651 cases, representing 26.8% of the global total (1,429,691), and on the following day, the 13th, it accounted for 25.7%.

It appears that South Korea will continue to account for about 20-25% of the global COVID-19 cases for the time being. As the Omicron variant-driven pandemic approaches its peak, the number of confirmed cases is expected to remain in the 300,000 range.

Although the international aggregation site Worldometer has not yet updated, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases as of midnight on the 15th reached 362,338, approaching another record high.

Jung Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the KDCA, said at the regular COVID-19 briefing that "It is predicted that the (COVID-19 infections) will shift to a downward trend around the 23rd," adding, "The peak of the outbreak was broadly predicted to be by the 22nd, and the scale of the outbreak was projected to range from an average of 310,000 to 370,000 cases per day." In other words, the current trend suggests that the daily number of confirmed cases will likely remain in the 300,000 range until next week.

As of the 14th (local time), Worldometer reported South Korea as having the highest number of new COVID-19 cases worldwide. / Photo by Worldometer capture

According to Worldometer, South Korea currently ranks first in the world in terms of daily new confirmed cases, leading Vietnam, which is in second place with 161,262 cases, by about 100,000. Compared to third-ranked Germany (101,872 cases) and fourth-ranked Japan (52,002 cases), the difference is several times larger.

The ranking for the number of deaths is also rising. On the 11th, South Korea was seventh with 229 deaths, but on the 12th it rose to fifth with 269 deaths, and on the 13th it surged to third with 251 deaths before dropping back to fifth on the 14th.

Meanwhile, the government plans to discuss whether to adjust the current quarantine guidelines this week. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said at a COVID-19 briefing on the 14th, "It is too early to indicate a direction, but we plan to start gathering opinions and holding various meetings," adding, "Compared to the scale of the outbreak, fewer severe cases are occurring than previously predicted. We expect the number of severe cases to increase to around 2,000 by the end of this month or early next month, and we are preparing response systems accordingly."

However, some experts have expressed concerns that the Omicron wave could be larger than the government initially anticipated.

Professor Lee Jae-gap of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital warned in an interview with TBS Traffic Broadcasting's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' on the same day, "Last week, even after surpassing 300,000 daily cases, the curve continues to rise," adding, "The peak of the outbreak could be delayed by one to two weeks compared to expectations."

He continued, "It is time to seriously consider how to prepare the medical system in case that happens," emphasizing, "Especially since the detection rate of new variants such as 'Stealth Omicron' is continuously increasing in South Korea, we cannot rule out the possibility that the peak will be delayed or that the scale of the outbreak will become larger."

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