Despite Sharp Drop in Confirmed Cases... "Possible Summer Resurgence" Warns Health Authorities

"Related to sealed environments where indoor ventilation becomes difficult when air conditioners are operating"

The number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) reached its lowest point in over four months on the morning of the 30th, and the screening clinic at Seoul Station is quiet.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] On the 30th, as the number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues to decline, health authorities predicted that a medium-scale outbreak could occur again if air conditioner usage increases due to the hotter weather.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at a back briefing on the 30th, "We believe that the summer resurgence is related to the closed environment where indoor ventilation becomes difficult when air conditioners are operated."

As of midnight on the same day, the number of new confirmed cases was 6,139, marking the lowest point in 131 days, and the COVID-19 outbreak continues to decline.

Regarding the correlation between air conditioners and summer resurgence, Son said, "Due to such effects, medium-scale outbreak curves were observed over the past two years," and added, "We predict that this year will be similarly affected."

However, he added, "The scale of the outbreak will not be very large," and "It was not a significant factor in previous years either." He also said, "While the possibility of such an outbreak is high, it is difficult to accurately predict the scale of the outbreak."

Son stated, "It is a very positive phenomenon that the current decline in the COVID-19 outbreak is being maintained," but he predicted, "At some point, the decline will stagnate or slow down." He continued, "Since it is difficult to predict the lower limit of the decline, continuous monitoring and observation are necessary."

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