BA.2.12.1 Detected 19 Cases Total... First 2 Domestic Infections
"High Transmissibility but No Difference in Severity"
COVID-19 Weekly Risk Level at 'Moderate' Stage
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1, which is rapidly spreading in the United States, has been detected 13 more times in South Korea. Another subvariant, BA.4 and BA.5, which are prevalent in South Africa, were also confirmed for the first time in South Korea with one and two cases respectively, prompting health authorities to launch epidemiological investigations.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 17th that 11 imported cases and 2 domestic infections of Omicron BA.2.12.1 were newly identified.
This is the first confirmation of domestic infections of BA.2.12.1. The six cases of BA.2.12.1 infection confirmed until the 10th were all imported cases. Among the domestic BA.2.12.1 infections, one person had completed the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the other had completed the fourth dose. Of the total 17 imported cases, one arrived from Canada and 16 from the United States.
One imported case of Omicron BA.4 was confirmed. This case was identified after entering from South Africa on the 27th of last month. Two cases of BA.5 were found; one was a domestic infection confirmed on the 12th in Incheon and was asymptomatic. The other was an imported case confirmed on the 12th after arriving from Turkey on the 8th.
The health authorities stated, "There was no epidemiological link or regional clustering among these confirmed cases, and no sustained community transmission was identified." They added, "27 patients recovered with mild symptoms, and 3 are currently under home treatment."
Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, explained, "BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 are not currently classified as new variants of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). Although transmissibility may be slightly higher, severity and other factors do not differ significantly." He continued, "We believe there is a competitive relationship among BA.4, BA.5, and other Omicron variant viruses regarding dominance, but the likelihood of this leading to the emergence of new variants of concern is still low."
Two additional recombinant variants mixing BA.1 and BA.2 were detected, bringing the total to eight confirmed cases. The two newly identified recombinant variants are both XQ, which are domestic infections. So far, three XQ variants have been confirmed in South Korea. Additionally, three XE and two XM recombinant variants have also been identified domestically. Among these eight recombinant variants, seven are domestic infections, and one XE case is an imported case from the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that the weekly new confirmed cases for the second week of May were 252,402, with a daily average of 36,057. This represents a 5.3% decrease compared to the previous week. The effective reproduction number (Rt) was 0.90, remaining below 1 for seven consecutive weeks, although the decline has somewhat slowed.
The weekly number of new severe cases was 250, down 19.4% from the previous week, and deaths were 372, down 24.8%. As of the 14th, the cumulative death rate per 100,000 population across all age groups was 45.8 (0.13%).
Accordingly, the weekly COVID-19 risk level remained at the "medium" stage nationwide, in the metropolitan area, and in non-metropolitan areas, continuing from the previous week.
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