COVID-19 Infection Reproduction Number Rises to 1.02... "Possibility of Summer Resurgence" (Comprehensive)

Son Young-rae, Head of the Strategic Planning Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Welfare)
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunbyeol Kim] The COVID-19 infection reproduction number, an indicator used to gauge the spread of the epidemic in South Korea, has risen above 1 again.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, stated at the regular briefing on the 13th, "The infection reproduction number is 1.02, a slight increase from 0.97 the previous week," adding, "Although the number of cases has slightly decreased, it is difficult to determine if this is a sustained downward trend."

In fact, the average daily number of confirmed domestic cases over the past week (June 6?12) was 524, a decrease of 54 cases compared to 578 in the previous week (May 30?June 5).

By region, the numbers were as follows: Seoul metropolitan area 356.0, Gyeongnam region 53.3, Gyeongbuk region 39.4, Chungcheong region 43.3, Gangwon 11.7, Honam region 11.6, and Jeju 9.0. The epidemic continues mainly in the Chungcheong region centered around Daejeon and the Busan-Gyeongnam region.

The proportion of cases with unknown infection routes, where it is unclear when and where the infection occurred, was 28.1% (1,077 out of 3,828 new confirmed cases). Looking at the trend over the past four weeks, the rates were 25.1% → 26.6% → 25.7% → 28.1%, showing an increase again last week.

Son said, "About half of all confirmed cases are infected through small-scale contact with prior confirmed cases such as family, acquaintances, or incidental contact, and the proportion of cases still under investigation for infection routes accounts for about one-quarter of the total."

He added, "There is a risk of resurgence due to summer vacations and travel, so we cannot afford to lower our guard," and urged, "Considering that the next three weeks until the end of June are a critical period during which 13 million elderly and other high-risk individuals will complete their vaccinations, please do not relax and cooperate with quarantine management."

Meanwhile, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, on the 12th (local time), President Moon Jae-in, attending the G7 summit in Cornwall, UK, expressed plans to increase South Korea's contribution to the international vaccine joint procurement project 'COVAX Facility' beyond the existing commitment.

Additionally, President Moon requested cooperation to ensure smooth vaccine supply in the second half of the year during a meeting with Pascal Soriot, Global CEO of AstraZeneca (AZ). The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters reported that CEO Soriot responded by saying he would make every effort to assist.