CNN "Korean Quarantine Successful... Low Mortality Rate Thanks to Vaccine"

Medical staff at the health center are collecting specimens at the permanent screening clinic in Buk-gu, Gwangju.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Sumi Hwang] Although COVID-19 cases are surging in Korea, foreign media reports have stated that the country is maintaining a low mortality rate thanks to vaccines.

Recently, the US-based CNN reported that COVID-19 cases are rapidly increasing in the Asia region, focusing on analyzing their quarantine policies.

It particularly noted that most of the confirmed cases are appearing in countries like Korea and Vietnam, which are easing their quarantine measures. CNN cited Professor Woojoo Kim of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital, explaining that the Korean government relaxed quarantine regulations last month ahead of the 20th presidential election to address the economic losses faced by small business owners.

CNN also highlighted the high number of tests conducted in Korea and Vietnam. Quoting Abhishek Rimal, Emergency Health Response Coordinator at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the media explained that both countries conduct a very large number of COVID-19 tests, which results in more confirmed cases being detected compared to other countries.

Despite the rapid increase in confirmed cases, some countries are maintaining relatively low mortality rates thanks to vaccines.

CNN stated that vaccination rates in Korea and New Zealand are very high, adding, "Crucially, vaccines have been administered intensively to patients and elderly people who are at high risk of death from COVID-19 infection."

As a result, although deaths have increased along with confirmed cases in these countries, they have been able to maintain relatively low mortality rates.

Previously, there were forecasts that Korea could be the first country in the world to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 30th of last month, Monica Gandhi, a professor at the University of California School of Medicine, stated, "Korea is one of the countries with the highest adult vaccination rates, has high trust in its public health system, and possesses the appropriate means to overcome the pandemic."

Furthermore, WSJ reported that Korea is easing quarantine policies such as social distancing despite the surge in COVID-19 cases, adopting a completely different strategy from before. Considering the low fatality rate, it evaluated that Korea is successfully managing the impact of the Omicron variant, the dominant strain of COVID-19.

According to the cumulative COVID-19 fatality rates by country announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 21st of last month, Korea's rate was 0.13%. This is one-tenth of the United States' rate of 1.22%, and significantly lower than the United Kingdom (0.8%), Germany (0.65%), and France (0.58%).