Government "Considering Easing Social Distancing"... Is Daily Life Recovery Possible Amid Rising Deaths?

'Stealth Omicron' Establishes Dominance
New Case Numbers Fluctuate
Deaths in Triple Digits for 29 Days... Severe Cases at Record High of 1,315 on 31st
Government Judges COVID-19 Spread is Declining... Moves Toward Easing Social Distancing
Health Authorities: "Severe Cases Lower Than Expected"

On the 28th, when 187,213 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens were waiting for the rapid antigen test results at a temporary screening clinic in front of Seoul City Hall. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] As the stealth Omicron, which is more than 30% more transmissible than the existing COVID-19 variant Omicron, has become the dominant strain in South Korea, the number of new COVID-19 cases has ranked first worldwide for four consecutive weeks, showing a persistent spread. However, the government has judged that the COVID-19 pandemic has passed its peak and entered a declining phase, and announced that it is reviewing plans to gradually ease social distancing measures.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters reported that as of midnight on the 31st, there were 320,743 new confirmed cases, bringing the cumulative total to 13,095,631. This is 103,898 fewer than the previous day (424,641 cases), 18,771 fewer than a week ago on the 24th (339,514 cases), and 300,585 fewer than the record high two weeks ago on the 16th (621,328 cases).

The trend of new cases this week continues to fluctuate. The number of confirmed cases dropped to the 180,000 range on Sunday the 27th due to the weekend effect of reduced testing, then surged to 347,554 on the 28th and into the 420,000 range on the 29th. On the 30th, the number decreased again to the 320,000 range.

The government believes that the Omicron wave has passed its peak and entered a gradual decline. Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Central Accident Response Headquarters, said at a briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 30th, "The number of confirmed cases has been decreasing steadily since passing the peak two weeks ago. The decline is still gradual. There are still many cases, averaging around 300,000 per day, and there is uncertainty due to the spread of the BA.2 variant (stealth Omicron), a sub-lineage of Omicron."

On the 28th, when 187,213 new COVID-19 cases were reported, the temporary screening clinic in front of Seoul City Hall was less crowded than usual. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Earlier, the government mentioned that social distancing measures would be eased once the wave passes its peak. Accordingly, the social distancing adjustment plan to be applied from April 1 is reportedly leaning toward easing. Some proposals include allowing private gatherings of up to 10 people and extending business hours until midnight, or lifting business hour restrictions altogether.

The problem is that the daily death toll continues to remain in the triple digits. On the 30th, there were 375 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the cumulative death toll to 16,230. The death toll over the past two weeks (March 16?30) has been: 429→301→319→327→329→384→291→470→393→323→282→287→237→432→375.

The cumulative fatality rate is 0.12%, significantly lower than the United States (1.22%), the United Kingdom (0.79%), and Japan (0.44%), but the fact that the death toll has remained in the triple digits for 29 consecutive days means the situation cannot be taken lightly. The surge in COVID-19 deaths has even caused a crisis in funeral homes in the Seoul area.

On the 27th, citizens are receiving diagnostic tests at the temporary COVID-19 screening clinic in Seoul Station Plaza. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on the same day, the number of new confirmed cases was 318,130, bringing the total confirmed cases to 11,815,841. Additionally, there are 1,216 critically ill patients currently hospitalized. The number of deaths was 282, with a cumulative death toll of 14,899 (fatality rate 0.13%). Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The increase in critically ill patients is also a concerning issue. On the 30th, the number of critically ill patients reached 1,315, 14 more than the previous day’s record high of 1,301. Over the past week, the number of critically ill patients has steadily increased: 1,085→1,164→1,216→1,273→1,215→1,301→1,315.

Regarding this, Son said at the regular briefing on the 30th, "Initially, we expected the maximum number of critically ill patients to be around 2,000, but now we analyze it to be between 1,300 and 1,700," indicating it is lower than expected. He added, "Usually, deaths increase slightly later than critically ill patients, but in this wave, deaths are increasing early and are almost parallel to the critically ill patient numbers. Whether deaths will increase two to three times as some experts fear, or whether the current death level will be maintained and gradually decrease, will require further observation to evaluate."

Meanwhile, one in three COVID-19 deaths occurs in nursing hospitals and facilities, where the elderly population is high. Accordingly, the government has prioritized prescribing COVID-19 treatments to nursing hospitals and facilities.

On the 30th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters strengthened the prescription of oral antiviral treatments such as Paxlovid in response to the continuous occurrence of confirmed cases and deaths in nursing hospitals and facilities densely populated with elderly patients with underlying conditions. For high-risk patients aged 65 and older in nursing facilities, even mild cases are immediately transferred to hospitals to prevent severe illness.

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