If the Trend Continues, 2,331 Confirmed Cases Expected in Mid-August... All Entrants Must Carry PCR Test Results (Comprehensive)

Expansion of Residential Treatment Centers Due to Surge in Mild Cases... Reinforcement of Epidemiological Investigation Personnel in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

On the 12th, as the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded 1,100, maintaining the 1,000 range for consecutive days, citizens who visited the temporary screening clinic set up in Yeouido Park, Seoul, are waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The government has projected that if the current COVID-19 outbreak continues, the number of confirmed cases will increase to 2,331 by mid-next month. It is expected that the outbreak will persist for a considerable period due to the continuous accumulation of asymptomatic and mild infections in the community and the rampant spread of the highly transmissible 'Delta variant' virus.

Accordingly, the government plans to strengthen medical response in the Seoul metropolitan area, where confirmed cases are concentrated, and accelerate epidemiological investigations to trace patients. Additionally, all international arrivals will be restricted from boarding aircraft if they do not possess prior Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test results.

President Moon Jae-in chaired the 'Special Metropolitan Area COVID-19 Response Inspection Meeting' at the Blue House Yeomin-gwan from 2 p.m. on the 12th and announced the strengthening of joint medical responses in the metropolitan area to block the spread of the fourth wave.

According to the remodeling analysis reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the day, the current effective reproduction number is about 1.22. If this situation continues, confirmed cases are expected to rise to 2,331 by mid-next month before declining. The effective reproduction number indicates how many people one infected person infects; a value above 1 signifies an expanding outbreak.

However, if the fourth stage of 'social distancing' in the metropolitan area effectively controls the outbreak, the number of cases is expected to maintain the current level for a while and then decrease after two weeks, dropping to around 600 cases by the end of August.

A total of 5,354 beds secured in Residential Treatment Centers... Expansion of self-treatment application scope

On the first day of the Level 4 social distancing measures in the Seoul metropolitan area to prevent the spread of COVID-19, related notices are posted at the Jongno Academy Gangbuk Main Branch in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 12th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The government plans to proactively secure hospital beds considering that the fourth wave has higher infectivity but lower fatality rates compared to the third wave, with a majority of cases among people in their 20s and 30s. In particular, due to the rapid increase in mild cases, the government aims to secure a total of 5,354 beds in Residential Treatment Centers by the fifth week of July.

As of the 11th, the metropolitan area has 6,784 beds in Residential Treatment Centers with an occupancy rate of 75.8%. Going forward, Seoul plans to secure an additional 2,204 beds in university dormitories and private hotels; Gyeonggi Province will secure 1,636 beds in university dormitories and public institution training centers; Incheon will secure 814 beds in large company training centers and university dormitories; and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters will secure 700 beds in public institution training centers.

Accordingly, Residential Treatment Centers will operate 3,623 beds by the 18th and an additional 1,731 beds by the 31st through cooperation between the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters and local governments.

Infectious disease-dedicated hospitals will secure 814 beds in the metropolitan area, and 17 beds for severe patients will be secured. For mild patients who find it difficult to be admitted to Residential Treatment Centers or have low transmission risk, plans to expand the scope of self-treatment to allow treatment within their living spaces are also being considered.

On the 8th, citizens who visited the screening clinic in Mapo-gu, Seoul, were waiting in line for COVID-19 testing. The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight on the same day, the number of new confirmed cases increased by 1,275, marking the highest number since the COVID-19 outbreak. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Furthermore, epidemiological investigation capacity will be intensively strengthened in the metropolitan area. By the 14th, 12 central quarantine officers and epidemiologists will be dispatched to the field to support metropolitan epidemiological investigations, and cluster information based on confirmed patients' residences will be used to focus on managing high-risk areas. From this day, an additional 250 epidemiological investigators have been deployed: 158 in Seoul, 75 in Gyeonggi, and 17 in Incheon.

To block variant viruses, starting from the 15th, all international arrivals, not only from Indonesia but from all countries, will be restricted from boarding aircraft if they do not possess prior PCR test results. Arrivals from high-risk countries such as South Africa, Tanzania, and India will be quarantined in facilities, and 21 countries with variant virus outbreaks will be excluded from quarantine exemptions based on vaccination.

Additionally, in the metropolitan area, thorough inspections will be conducted focusing on seven vulnerable sectors where cluster infections have occurred. The seven vulnerable sectors are academies and private tutoring centers, indoor sports facilities, religious facilities, karaoke rooms, bathhouses and lodging facilities, entertainment venues, and restaurants and cafes.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters emphasized, "Along with smooth vaccination efforts, we will do our best to ensure early control of the fourth wave by actively conducting testing, contact tracing, and securing compliance with the fourth stage of social distancing."