Weekly COVID-19 Cases Rise for First Time in 9 Weeks... Rebound Earlier Than Spring Wave

During the 5th wave, confirmed cases decreased for 14 consecutive weeks
Daily average cases 3.6 times higher than the lowest point

On the 24th, when 14,302 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens visiting the screening clinic set up at the Yongsan District Public Health Center in Seoul are moving to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The weekly number of COVID-19 confirmed cases has increased for the first time in nine weeks, showing a rebound earlier than during the Omicron wave last spring.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's data on the 25th, the weekly confirmed cases from the 17th to the 23rd reached 177,036, an approximately 18.2% increase from the previous week (149,753). This is the first time weekly confirmed cases have risen since the peak of the 6th wave from August 15 to 21.

The provisional reproduction number, based on confirmed cases from the 16th to 20th, was 1.09, exceeding 1 for the first time in nine weeks. The reproduction number indicates how many people one infected person transmits the virus to; a value above 1 means the epidemic is spreading, while below 1 indicates containment.

Recently, prevention indicators have shown an earlier rebound compared to the 5th wave last spring, which was driven by Omicron BA.1 and BA.2. Firstly, the period of decline in confirmed cases has shortened. Although the 6th wave has not ended, confirmed cases began to increase last week after nine weeks of decline. In contrast, during the 5th wave, after reaching a peak on March 17 this year, weekly confirmed cases decreased continuously for 14 weeks until the 6th wave began.

The decrease in confirmed and critically ill patients is also less pronounced than before. After the 5th wave last spring, the lowest weekly average daily confirmed cases were 7,057 in the fourth week of June, with 42 new critically ill patients weekly. Last week, the daily average confirmed cases were 25,291, and critically ill patients numbered 232, approximately 3.6 times and 5.5 times higher than the lowest points during the 5th wave, respectively.

Experts analyzed that seasonal factors related to winter and the relaxation of prevention measures influenced the epidemic pattern. Earlier, the government completely lifted social distancing measures, including restrictions on business hours and the number of people, on April 18, and from May 2, mask-wearing outdoors was no longer mandatory except for group activities.

Professor Baek Soon-young, emeritus professor at the Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, explained, "Unlike during the spring wave, outdoor mask mandates and social distancing have been completely lifted, and the public's awareness of prevention has generally decreased. Due to seasonal characteristics, the virus is more active, and people's immunity tends to weaken during this period."

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