Government: "4th Wave Suppressed but Rapid Spread Possible... Please Cooperate with Social Distancing"

Son Young-rae, Head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, is briefing on the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters results at the Government Seoul Office. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] The government warned regarding the domestic COVID-19 4th wave, stating, "While the rapid spread is being controlled, if we become complacent, a sudden surge in infections could occur again."

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 29th, "It is fortunate that the spread of the 4th wave, which rapidly increased from the end of June due to the dominance of the Delta variant, has been suppressed, but the large scale of the outbreak is still maintained, so the situation remains dangerous."

He continued, "If we become complacent or if the quarantine measures are relaxed here, a sudden increase in infections could occur again," adding, "Looking at cases in other countries facing the Delta variant such as Japan, Israel, and the United States, this is a realistic risk."

Looking at specific statistics, the average daily number of confirmed cases domestically over the past week (22nd?28th) was 1,703, a 2.7% (48 cases) decrease from the previous week (15th?21st), which had 1,751 cases.

During this period, the average daily confirmed cases outside the metropolitan area decreased from 650 to 590, but in the metropolitan area, it increased slightly from 1,100 to 1,112.

Additionally, the number of new cluster outbreaks dropped to less than half, from 93 to 41 cases, but the proportion of cases with unknown infection routes rose from 30.5% to 35.8%, raising concerns about further spread.

Furthermore, the infection reproduction number last week was 0.99, slightly lower than the previous week's 1.02.

The infection reproduction number indicates how many people one confirmed case infects. A value above 1 means the outbreak is spreading, while below 1 indicates containment.

Referring to these quarantine indicators, Son said, "The most important goal is to clearly shift the current stagnant or plateaued outbreak level into a definite downward trend," adding, "Vaccinations are rapidly expanding, and the cumulative effect of vaccinations is expected to appear after a certain point in time. Until then, it is best not to increase the outbreak size and preferably shift to a decreasing trend."

He also emphasized, "Vaccination can prevent 83% of infections, and even if infected, it is analyzed that the probability of death is reduced by 97%. Citizens who have not yet been vaccinated must participate in vaccination."

He further urged, "Even though it is difficult, please cooperate with social distancing and quarantine rules to make the decline in the outbreak more distinct."