"Not Getting Tested Even with Symptoms"... 'Hidden Infections' Increase and 'Severe Cases' Also Surge

COVID-19 New Cases Back to 70,000 Range... Severe Cases Highest in Over 2 Months

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] # Mr. A, who runs a cafe in Gyeonggi-do, experienced flu-like symptoms last week. On the first day, he tested negative using a self-diagnosis kit and served customers as usual, but on the second day, he developed a fever and a severe sore throat, forcing another family member to work in his place. Mr. A took fever reducers and cold medicine at home and suffered for two more days before regaining strength and returning to his daily routine on the fourth day. He said, "The symptoms were definitely different from a typical flu, and if I had tested after the second day, I probably would have tested positive. However, since it would have been a big loss to close the store for a week after a confirmed diagnosis, I chose not to get tested."

While the increase in new COVID-19 cases is slowing down, the number of critically ill patients and deaths continues to rise. Typically, severe cases and deaths increase 2 to 3 weeks after a surge in confirmed cases, but experts believe that the rise in so-called 'hidden infections'?people who do not confirm their infection despite symptoms?is also a contributing factor.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 23rd, as of midnight the previous day, the number of new confirmed cases in South Korea was 72,873, an increase of 49,782 from the previous day (21st) and 7 more than a week ago (15th, 72,866). This is the highest number since September 14th (93,949). The four-day decline compared to the previous week, which had continued since the 18th, has also stopped.

The number of critically ill patients stood at 461, remaining in the 400s for the fourth consecutive day. This represents an increase of nearly 200 from 288 critically ill patients on the 1st of this month. On the 21st, the day before, the highest number of critically ill patients in 61 days was recorded since September 21st (494). There were 45 COVID-19 deaths reported that day. Over the past week (16th?22nd), a total of 363 deaths were recorded, averaging 51 to 52 deaths per day.

Considering that critically ill patients and deaths continue to rise despite the slow increase in confirmed cases, it is interpreted that the actual number of confirmed cases is larger than the official count. This suggests many hidden confirmed cases who were asymptomatic or symptomatic but did not get tested and thus were excluded from official statistics. The health authorities also note that vaccination rates among high-risk groups such as the elderly have decreased, and hidden infections have increased due to people not getting tested despite suspicious symptoms.

Jung Ki-seok, head of the COVID-19 Special Response Team and member of the National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee, said, "We are seeing a trend where more people suspect COVID-19 but do not get tested. Testing cannot be forced, so we can only estimate the situation by observing the increase in critically ill patients and deaths."

Professor Kim Tak of Soonchunhyang University’s Department of Infectious Diseases said, "Since 40 to 50 deaths continue daily, the death rate relative to new confirmed cases is indeed higher compared to previous outbreaks. This could be due to fewer people getting diagnostic tests overall, or because the effectiveness of vaccines administered 3 to 4 months ago in preventing severe cases has decreased, leading to an actual increase in severity."

Earlier, the health authorities’ 'Community-Based Representative Sample COVID-19 Antibody Positivity Survey' released at the end of September estimated that 19.5% of those tested?about 1 in 5?were hidden infections not reflected in official statistics.

Initially, the government predicted the peak of this resurgence to be around 180,000 to 200,000 cases, but some forecasts suggest the actual number of confirmed cases may be lower due to many hidden infections avoiding diagnostic testing.

Professor Baek Soon-young, emeritus professor at the Catholic University School of Medicine, said, "So far, about 26 million people have been infected with COVID-19, and hidden infections who have not undergone diagnostic testing are estimated to be around 10 million. Looking at the recent trend in new confirmed cases, the peak is expected to be around 100,000 rather than surging to the government’s predicted 200,000 per day."

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