S. Korea’s new daily cases could hit over 2,000, delta variant spreading fast

Jul 15, 2021, 09:06 am

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People queue in line to wait to get coronavirus testing in a testing center in Seoul on July 14, 2021./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Park Ah-ram

While South Korea has entered a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with daily new cases above 1,000 for days, Cheong Wa Dae reported its first COVID-19 infection among its staffers on Wednesday, putting on emergency alert within the presidential office. Experts pointed out the government’s failure to tighten quarantine policy and called for stronger measures.

South Korea reported a new daily record of 1,615 cases on Wednesday, raising the country’s accumulated caseload to 171,911, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily figure marks the largest since the nation reported its first confirmed case on January 20 last year. Of the new cases, 1,568 were local transmissions and 47 were from overseas.

The recent surge in COVID-19 cases is mainly linked to cluster infections and the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant first detected in India.

According to the KDCA, 536 people were infected with COVID-19 variants from July 4 to July 10 period. Among the cases, the number of cases involving the Delta variant stood at 374, or 69.8 percent. Among the cases involving the Delta variant, 250 were locally transmitted while the remaining 124 were imported from overseas.

The health authorities downplayed the Delta variant despite multiple expert warnings, claiming that the variant was not the dominant strain, and announced a hasty decision to ease social distancing rules.

However, as the country has seen an explosive growth in COVID-19 cases recently with the spread of the Delta variant, the government imposed the toughest social distancing measures in Seoul and surrounding regions. It imposed Level Two social distancing measures in areas outside the capital region from Thursday.

Amid the 4th wave of pandemic, an assistant secretary at Cheong Wa Dae tested positive for the virus. The official was working from home due to their spouse’s fever symptom, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. President Moon Jae-in had not come into contact with the official. It is the first known COVID-19 infection directly linked to the presidential office.

Experts are calling for tougher quarantine measures, saying that the situation could worsen if the country fails to contain the spread of the virus.

“If the number of patients increases, consumption will drop sharply, causing an economic downturn,” said Dr. Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro. “Without any special measures, the pandemic could get worse,” he said.

“It is hard to contain the spread of the virus by just maintaining the current distancing rules,” Dr. Kim said. “Tougher measures, such as lockdown, are necessary.”

#South Korea #daily new cases #COVID-19 #Cheong Wa Dae #fourth wave