Confirmed Cases Decrease for 2 Consecutive Weeks... COVID-19 Infection Disease Classification to Be Lowered Tomorrow

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is showing a declining trend.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 30th, the total number of new COVID-19 cases in the fourth week of August was 264,305, a 9.4% decrease compared to the previous week. The average daily number of confirmed cases was 37,758. COVID-19 cases have decreased for two consecutive weeks. The effective reproduction number (Rt), which indicates how many people one infected person transmits the virus to, was recorded at 0.94. A value below 1 means the outbreak is declining.

Despite the decline in spread, the average daily number of critically ill patients hospitalized was 235, an increase of 3.5%. This is attributed to the impact of the average daily confirmed cases nearing 50,000 just 2 to 3 weeks ago. The average daily number of deaths also increased by 7.3% to 19 compared to the previous week.

The health authorities maintained the weekly COVID-19 risk level as "low," considering the low fatality rate of about 0.04% and the decreasing trend in new confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, the government will downgrade the COVID-19 infectious disease classification from level 2 to level 4 as of the 31st. This means COVID-19 will be treated at the same level as influenza (flu). Government coverage for COVID-19 testing costs at medical institutions will be discontinued, requiring patients to pay higher fees for rapid antigen tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests than before. Comprehensive COVID-19 surveillance will also end and shift to sample surveillance.

However, the health authorities have decided to maintain some testing and treatment cost support focused on high-risk groups and the mask-wearing mandate in hospital-level medical institutions for the time being.