"Delta Infection Followed by Omicron Reinfection?" ... 129 Cases Reported Domestically

0.0038% of Total Confirmed Cases Confirmed as COVID-19 Reinfections

On the 17th, when 621,328 new COVID-19 cases were reported, visitors at a clinic in Seoul were waiting to take rapid antigen tests. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As of now, there have been a total of 290 cases in South Korea suspected to be reinfections after recovering from COVID-19.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 19th, out of 7,629,264 cumulative confirmed cases in the country as of the 16th, 290 cases (0.0038%) have been identified as suspected reinfections. The health authorities classify cases as suspected reinfections if a positive result is confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 90 days after the initial confirmed date.

Cases are also considered suspected reinfections if a PCR test is positive 45 to 89 days after the initial confirmation date and the patient shows symptoms, has had contact with a confirmed case, or has a history of overseas travel.

As the number of confirmed cases surged, suspected reinfection cases have also rapidly increased. Among the 290 suspected reinfection cases, 2 occurred from February 2020 to June last year before the Delta variant became prevalent, 159 cases occurred in the second half of last year when the Delta variant was dominant in South Korea, and 129 cases occurred from January this year to the 16th of this month when the Omicron variant became dominant.

However, the number of suspected reinfection cases per 100,000 population was 22.7 during the Omicron dominant period, which was actually lower than 33.6 during the Delta dominant period.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters stated, "In Europe, reinfection rates have been reported to be as high as 10%, and reinfections with the Omicron variant are known to occur frequently," adding, "Based on current surveillance results, the proportion of reinfection cases among all confirmed cases in South Korea is still considered minimal."

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