Even in midsummer, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to rise without slowing down. The health authorities have decided to postpone the planned COVID-19 easing measures that were scheduled for mid-month.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that the average daily number of new COVID-19 cases from the 1st to the 7th of this month was 50,382, a 10.7% increase compared to the previous week (45,529 cases). This marks the sixth consecutive week of increase.
On the 2nd, there were 64,167 confirmed cases. This is the highest number in about seven months since January 4th (78,541 cases), during the winter resurgence period. Despite the ongoing heatwave, the level of spread is comparable to that of the winter outbreak.
The problem is that the peak of the summer outbreak has not yet arrived. The health authorities have projected that daily cases could rise to 76,000 by mid-month.
The number of critically ill patients and deaths is also increasing. The number of critically ill patients is 214, up by 35 from the previous week (179), and the weekly death toll is 98, an increase of 1 from the previous week (97).
As the COVID-19 situation worsens, the health authorities have decided to postpone the plan to downgrade COVID-19 to a Level 4 infectious disease, which was scheduled to be announced on the 9th. According to the original plan, the COVID-19 classification would have been lowered to the same level as influenza, and easing measures such as lifting the hospital-level mask-wearing mandate were to be implemented around mid-month.
A health authority official stated, “After closely monitoring the outbreak and prevention situation, and consulting with experts, we will conduct a comprehensive and careful review before setting a revised adjustment plan.”
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