[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] As the COVID-19 outbreak shows signs of resurgence, the number of new confirmed cases reached the 6,000 range on the 4th. This is the highest number in six weeks based on Monday announcements, and health authorities expect that confirmed cases could surge again to over 150,000 during a re-outbreak.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters reported that as of midnight on the day, 6,253 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the cumulative total to 18,395,864. This is 3,806 fewer than the previous day (10,059), but 2,830 more than a week ago on the 27th of last month (3,423). It is the highest number in six weeks since May 23 (9,971) based on Monday announcements.
The number of new confirmed cases had steadily decreased since the peak of the Omicron variant outbreak in March, maintaining four-digit figures for nearly 20 days since the 10th of last month. However, it rose back to the 10,000 range on the 29th of last month and has fluctuated around that level. Looking at the daily new confirmed cases over the past week from the 28th of last month: 9,894 → 10,455 → 9,591 → 9,528 → 10,715 → 10,059 → 6,253, averaging 9,499 cases per day.
Health authorities view the decline in COVID-19 cases as having reached its limit and expect a pattern of slight increases and decreases to repeat for the time being. However, they warn that if a re-outbreak occurs, daily confirmed cases could reach approximately 150,000 to 200,000. The re-outbreak is expected to possibly occur in late autumn or winter, but the timing and scale may vary due to factors such as relaxation of quarantine policies and the introduction of new variants.
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