Kwon Jun-wook "4th Wave More Critical Than 3rd Wave... Delta Variant Likely to Cause Problems" (Update)

by Seo Sojeong

Published 09 Jul.2021 15:22(KST)

If the Outbreak Scale Increases, the Probability of Breakthrough Infections and Cluster Outbreaks Among the Elderly Rises

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] The quarantine authorities have judged that the current '4th wave' caused by the 'Delta variant' virus could become a greater crisis than the '3rd wave' that peaked at the end of last year.

On the 9th, Kwon Jun-wook, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters, stated at the regular COVID-19 briefing, "In South Korea, the Delta variant is expected to soon lead the overall outbreak, which could accelerate the transmission speed."

Deputy Head Kwon said, "There are several differences between the 3rd and 4th waves," adding, "More than 10% of the population has already completed vaccination, and fully vaccinated individuals, mainly healthcare workers and high-risk groups, have begun to accumulate in the community."

For this reason, despite the onset of the 4th wave, there has not yet been a significant change in the scale of severe cases or deaths.

However, he expressed concern that the spread of the Delta variant, which has higher transmissibility than the existing virus, could rapidly worsen the situation.

Deputy Head Kwon warned, "Currently, during the 4th wave, the evolution and changes of variants worldwide are becoming more prominent," and "The Delta variant, which has the fastest transmissibility and the potential to cause serious problems, is already dominant in many countries."

He emphasized, "No matter how many vaccinated individuals accumulate in the community, if the overall number of cases increases, all probabilities rise," adding, "The probability of breakthrough infections also increases, and even among vaccinated individuals without antibody formation, the probability of cluster outbreaks in the elderly, though small, can gradually increase."

He continued, "At this moment, when the vaccination speed is increasing, we are fully committed because we judge that the 4th wave is much more important and more of a crisis than the 3rd wave."