New Yorkers are lining up to get tested for COVID-19 at Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A warning has been issued that COVID-19 could resurge in the United States. In fact, as confirmed cases rapidly increase mainly in major eastern cities such as New York and Washington, the state of Philadelphia has re-mandated indoor mask-wearing.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and a leading authority on infectious diseases in the U.S., recently appeared on Bloomberg TV and warned that COVID-19 will resurge in the U.S. this fall.
He said, "It seems we will see a spread of (COVID-19) this fall. As the weather gets colder in the fall, we should expect a certain increase in confirmed cases." He added, "This is why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its advisory committee are meeting to devise strategies, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is researching to determine what the best booster shot (additional vaccination) will be."
According to Worldometer on the 13th, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has reached over 508 million, and signs of increasing cases are emerging again in the U.S., Europe, and other regions.
According to Our World in Data, confirmed cases in the U.S. had dropped to the 20,000 range but have risen again to 38,000. In France, the number of confirmed cases, which had decreased to around 50,000 in early March, rose to 130,000 in early April. The UK also saw confirmed cases increase to 80,000 before starting to decline again.
This is due to the continuous emergence of variants following Omicron, such as the subvariants Stealth Omicron (BA.2), XE, and XL.
Accordingly, some regions in the U.S. are strengthening quarantine guidelines again. Philadelphia became the first of the 50 states to re-mandate indoor mask-wearing.
Domestically, Stealth Omicron has already become the dominant strain, and one case of XL infection has been reported. According to data submitted by the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) to Baek Jong-heon, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee (People Power Party), the reinfection rate of COVID-19 in South Korea was found to be 0.284% (26,239 people). It is also reported that there are 37 cases of triple infection.
The CDCH stated, "Since the initial number of infected individuals increased significantly after the Omicron pandemic, the number of reinfected individuals may increase further, so preparation is necessary."
Meanwhile, as the domestic Omicron pandemic passes its peak and shows a declining trend, the government is gradually easing quarantine measures. The new social distancing guidelines to be announced on the 15th are likely to lift the current restrictions on private gatherings of up to 10 people and the business hour limit of midnight. However, it is expected that the outdoor mask mandate will be maintained for the time being.
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