BN.1 and BF.7, Alarming 'New Variants'... Is Indoor Mask Removal Possible in January?

"New Variant" Increasing the Scale of COVID-19 Resurgence
Experts Divided Ahead of Indoor Mask Mandate Lift in Mid-January
Key Requirement for Mask Removal 'Winter Booster Vaccination' Rate Also Below Target
Ruling Party and Government to Discuss 'Indoor Mask' Adjustment Plan Today

On the morning of the 20th, citizens are waiting to get tested for COVID-19 at the COVID-19 screening clinic at Yongsan-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] The detection rates of the new BN.1 and BF.7 variants have surged, replacing the BA.5 variant that had driven the COVID-19 outbreak so far. In particular, the BN.1 variant's detection rate exceeded 20% within three weeks. Concerns have arisen that if the new variants become dominant, a winter resurgence could pose a challenge, casting a shadow over the 'lifting of indoor mask mandates.'

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) on the 22nd, the total number of new COVID-19 cases in the second week of December was 455,364, a 10.3% increase compared to the previous week. Of these, 454,944 were domestic cases, and 420 were imported cases.

The health authorities believe that the spread of new variants has influenced the trend of the outbreak. Among the 419,130 confirmed cases from December 4 to 10, the detection rate of the BN.1 variant surpassed 20%, and the detection rate of the BF.7 variant increased by 54% within one week.

About 70% of the detected variants are still sublineages of BA.5, but the detection rate of the BA.5 variant decreased by 8.5 percentage points from the previous week to 52.0%. Instead, the detection rate of BN.1, a sublineage of BA.2.75, increased significantly, reaching 20.6%, up 3.2 percentage points from the previous week. The BN.1 variant is a reclassified subvariant of BA.2.75 and is known to have greater immune evasion ability than the BA.2.75 variant.

As a result, opinions among experts are divided regarding the lifting of the indoor mask mandate. At an expert forum held by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 15th under the theme 'COVID-19 Response Direction,' Professor Jung Jae-hoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Gachon University College of Medicine said, "Considering the scale of the outbreak, fatality rate, and medical response capacity, most prerequisites for returning to normal life have already been met, and the difference lies only in the perception of changing the mask-wearing mandate to a recommendation," adding, "Social consensus and discussion are necessary."

On the other hand, Professor Eom Jung-sik of Gachon University College of Medicine emphasized a cautious approach to lifting the indoor mask mandate. Professor Eom stated, "If preparations are well made and it is judged that adjusting the mask mandate is not problematic, then it can be lifted; otherwise, it is desirable to maintain the mandate longer," and criticized, "The chronic problems of the healthcare system were highlighted by COVID-19, and I am skeptical about whether we should create an opportunity now to amplify COVID-19 infections without improvements and preparations."

The low rate of additional winter vaccinations is acting as a burden on adjusting the indoor mask mandate. As of midnight on the 21st, the additional winter vaccination rate was 28.3% for the elderly aged 60 and over and 47.5% for infection-vulnerable facilities, both lower than the government targets of 50% and 60%, respectively.

Meanwhile, the People Power Party and the government will hold a party-government consultative meeting on the 22nd to discuss lifting the indoor mask mandate. The meeting, held at the National Assembly in the morning, will be attended by Emergency Response Committee Chairman Jeong Jin-seok, Policy Committee Chairman Seong Il-jong, and ruling party members of the Health and Welfare Committee including Kang Ki-yoon. From the government side, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong and KDCA Director Ji Young-mi will participate. Based on the discussions, the government plans to announce the adjustment plan for the indoor mask mandate at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on the 23rd.

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