"Last Week's Global Weekly New COVID-19 Cases Increase for 8 Consecutive Weeks"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The quarantine authorities have repeatedly urged caution as the number of new COVID-19 cases worldwide has been increasing for eight consecutive weeks, warning that South Korea must also be vigilant against the spread of infections. In particular, the authorities analyze that the emergence of new variant viruses may have contributed to the global surge.
Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, said at the regular briefing on the 20th, "Last week, the weekly number of new COVID-19 cases worldwide increased for the eighth consecutive week, setting a new record since the pandemic began." He added, "This situation is believed to be related to fatigue from prolonged social distancing, somewhat premature easing of lockdown measures in various countries, and the emergence of new variants."
Last week, the average daily number of cases in South Korea was 621, a 7.3% increase from 579 cases in the previous week. Regarding this, Lee said, "Compared to the rapid increase in cases worldwide, South Korea's increase is relatively small, and the variant rate is also low." However, he emphasized, "The current situation cannot be considered optimistic. COVID-19 has the characteristic of spreading like wildfire from a small outbreak, so now is the time to pay attention to every small spark."
According to the authorities, recent major infection routes include small-scale contacts such as family and acquaintances, as well as regional cluster infections. Recently, infections in multi-use facilities such as restaurants, pubs, and indoor sports facilities have been on the rise. Among cluster infection cases, the proportion of multi-use facilities was 26% during the two weeks in mid-February but increased to 50.4% in the two weeks of this month.
In particular, from January to April 19 this year, there have been 40 cluster infections related to indoor sports facilities, involving 1,163 confirmed cases. Lee said, "Nationwide, cases in indoor sports facilities have been increasing since January, with 4 cases (121 people) in January, 9 cases (473 people) in February, 15 cases (426 people) in March, and 12 cases (240 people) up to April 19." The facility with the most cases was fitness centers, with a total of 18 cases involving 505 people. Additionally, 4 cases involving 220 people occurred in dance halls and dance academies, and 4 cases involving 91 people in sports centers.
Meanwhile, the authorities announced that they will soon establish strengthened quarantine measures for India in connection with the recent confirmation of the Indian variant of COVID-19, known as the "double mutant." Lee said, "India is currently experiencing a rapid increase in cases, and there are distinct Indian variant strains, so it is a matter of concern." He added, "Currently, the quarantine system has been somewhat improved by verifying PCR negative results before entry and conducting tests again after entry, but the authorities are reviewing measures regarding quarantine after entry and inspection methods at entry, and will soon present ways to strengthen these measures."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
