COVID-19 Surges Again This Year... Severe Hospitalizations Also Increasing

Cumulative Cases Increase for 4th Week
Notable Rise Among Elderly... 30% Increase in 80+ Age Group
COVID-19 Surge a Global Trend... Urging Vaccination

Amid the fierce spread of influenza (flu) this winter, the number of COVID-19 patients continues to rise.

On the 19th, when free COVID-19 vaccinations began for high-risk groups and elderly people aged 65 and over, an elderly person visiting a hospital in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, received the Pfizer vaccine. General individuals aged 12 to 64 who are not in the high-risk group can receive free vaccinations starting from the 1st of next month. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 13th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased from 4,649 in the third week of last month (17th?23rd) to 5,319 in the fourth week (24th?30th), and 5,660 in the first week of this month (December 31, 2023?January 6, 2024). After recording 5,900 cases in the second week of last month (10th?16th), the numbers briefly dropped to the 4,000s before sharply rising again.

The cumulative number of confirmed cases has also been increasing for four consecutive weeks. The cumulative confirmed cases rose from 140,902 in the second week of December (10th?16th) to 145,551 in the third week, 150,870 in the fourth week, and 156,530 in the first week of January.

Notably, the increase in COVID-19 cases among the elderly is prominent. Comparing the COVID-19 growth rates by age group from the third week of December to the first week of January, the rates were ▲0?9 years: 19.22% ▲teens: 5.50% ▲20s: 25.48% ▲30s: 27.39% ▲40s: 25.50% ▲50s: 12.54% ▲60s: 23.12% ▲70s: 21.15% ▲80 and above: 29.69%.

The older the age group, the higher the rate of progression to severe illness requiring hospitalization. Among patients admitted for 'acute respiratory infections' at 218 hospital-level medical institutions (as of the first week of January), COVID-19 patients accounted for the largest share at 30.5%, surpassing the recently prevalent influenza (28.9%). Among hospitalized patients, those aged 65 and older made up 62.9%, indicating that the elderly are particularly vulnerable.

Among patients admitted to 42 tertiary general hospitals for 'severe acute respiratory infections,' COVID-19 patients accounted for 15.0% of the total, with more than half (52.9%) being 65 years or older.

The recent increase in COVID-19 cases appears to be a global trend, not just domestic. The World Health Organization (WHO) also urged vaccination, stating, "COVID-19 infections are rising worldwide."

According to WHO, from December 3 to 31 last year, 1,189,927 new COVID-19 infections were reported globally, a 31% increase compared to the previous four weeks. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing on the 11th (local time), "In December last year, the number of COVID-19-related hospital admissions increased by 42% compared to the previous four weeks, and intensive care unit admissions rose by 62%."

The KDCA plans to include COVID-19 hospitalization statistics in its weekly 'Sample Surveillance Newsletter' starting this year.

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