Gangnam-gu Manages 2,019 Self-Quarantine Cases... Global COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 1.5 Million

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] As of midnight on the 4th, the number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea was 629, with 295 cases occurring in Seoul alone, setting a new record high.

Looking at the infection routes of the new cases, 600 were locally transmitted, making up the majority, while 29 were imported cases.

By region, the metropolitan area reported 463 cases, an increase of 44 from the 3rd, accounting for 77.1% of all local transmissions.

In particular, Seoul’s daily new cases first exceeded 200 on the 25th of last month, then seemed to decrease from the 27th (178 → 158 → 159 → 155), but rose again to 193 on the 1st, 262 on the 3rd, and sharply increased to 295 today.

In response, Seoul city decided to ban business operations for most industries, including stores and cinemas, after 9 p.m. on the 5th. Public transportation will also reduce operations by 30% after 9 p.m., and public facilities will be completely closed regardless of time.

The health authorities have warned that with the start of the ‘third wave,’ if the current trend continues, daily confirmed cases could reach 1,000 within 1 to 2 weeks. Cluster infections continue in everyday spaces such as schools, academies, and PC rooms, and as winter, which favors virus survival, approaches, if the spread does not subside after the end of social distancing level 2 on the 7th, difficult times are expected to continue for a while.

Countries around the world are also facing ‘the worst days’ daily. According to the international statistics site Worldometer on the 3rd, the global COVID-19 death toll reached 1.5 million, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it exceeded 1.48 million.

This is about one year since COVID-19 was first reported to WHO as ‘pneumonia of unknown cause’ in December last year.

The United States, with the highest cumulative death toll of 280,000, had its White House ‘COVID-19 Response Task Force’ issue the highest-level emergency alert to state governments on the 2nd.

The number of hospitalized patients in the U.S. exceeded 100,000 for the first time, but the problem is that the impact of travel during last Thanksgiving has not yet been reflected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that, given the current trend, up to 19,500 deaths could occur during the Christmas week, and up to 450,000 deaths by February next year.

Europe is also experiencing its worst days. The UK, which will begin COVID-19 vaccinations next week, surpassed 60,000 cumulative deaths yesterday, the first European country to do so. Reports even suggest the number has effectively exceeded 69,000. On the same day, Italy recorded 993 deaths in one day, the highest since February, and announced high-intensity quarantine measures including banning interregional travel until early next year.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands mandated mask-wearing on the 2nd, imposing a fine of 130,000 KRW for violations. The Netherlands had recommended mask-wearing at the end of September; new cases peaked at over 10,000 at the end of October but then began to decline to around 4,000 to 6,000 in early last month. They mandated masks after directly experiencing their effectiveness.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended mask-wearing even indoors with poor ventilation, recognizing masks as the best preventive measure.

Gangnam-gu informs that it has purchased over 6.5 million masks for the health and safety of residents and has distributed more than 5.5 million masks to seniors, pregnant women, infants, and vulnerable groups.

Confirmed Cases Status

Confirmed cases 560 to 563 in Gangnam-gu are family members of previously confirmed residents of Gangnam-gu, and case 564 was confirmed at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center on the 4th with muscle pain symptoms. Cases 565 and 566 tested positive at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center after arriving in the country on the 2nd. Cases 567 and 568 are family members of previously confirmed Gangnam-gu residents and were confirmed at Seocho-gu Public Health Center. Case 559 was confirmed with fever symptoms at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital yesterday and was transferred to our district.

Self-Quarantine Status

As of today, Gangnam-gu manages 2,019 people in self-quarantine, including 1,133 overseas arrivals and 886 domestic contacts.

Number of Tests Conducted

The cumulative number of tests conducted at Gangnam-gu Public Health Center screening clinics is 94,003. Among 1,255 tests conducted the previous day, 84 were overseas arrivals and 1,171 were domestic residents.

The government is reported to have completed a significant stage of the vaccine contract with AstraZeneca. With foreign vaccine use becoming visible, such as the UK approving the Pfizer vaccine, health authorities appear to be accelerating vaccine approvals.

The government plans to announce vaccine quantities and inoculation plans next week, including Pfizer and Moderna.

However, despite expectations for vaccine development, the global spread of COVID-19 is expected to continue for the time being.

Meanwhile, Gangnam-gu confirmed that one person was infected on the 3rd and three additional cases on the 4th at ‘Trinity Rehabilitation and Nursing Hospital’ located in Samseong-dong. A joint in-depth epidemiological investigation is underway with Seoul city to identify specific infection routes and additional contacts.

Due to the nature of nursing hospitals where high-risk groups gather, a full investigation is being conducted on 340 people, including inpatients, families, and medical staff, to preemptively block cluster infections.

Also, in relation to recent call center cluster infections, thorough on-site inspections are being conducted focusing on 31 call centers for proactive response.

Active and voluntary cooperation from companies is requested.

Furthermore, to all examinees who safely completed the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) on the 3rd despite the difficult COVID-19 situation, we sincerely appreciate your hard work and hope for good results.

Although you may want to relieve accumulated stress immediately, we repeatedly urge you to strictly follow quarantine rules for the maintenance of a healthy community for the time being.

Regarding this CSAT, Gangnam-gu, as an ‘Ontact Leader,’ will provide CSAT explanation lectures through Gangnam Online Lectures so that examinees can safely prepare for the remaining college entrance process at home. From the 9th to the 11th, admission briefing sessions for major universities in the metropolitan area as well as medical, dental, and oriental medicine schools will be held for regular admission strategies.

District Mayor Jung Soon-gyun said, "Health authorities see this weekend as a critical turning point for the spread of the third wave. We ask all residents to remain vigilant, remembering that you and your family can be infected at any time, and to refrain from going out and gatherings as much as possible."