Joint Meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Respiratory Infectious Diseases
Vaccination Urged for Those Aged 65 and Older and Residents of Infection-Prone Facilities
The health authorities have once again urged high-risk groups to get vaccinated, warning that the number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea could increase in late June, taking into account the current overseas COVID-19 outbreaks and the typical summer situation in previous years.
Jiyoungmi, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, is speaking at the 5th meeting of the Joint Countermeasures Team for Respiratory Infectious Diseases, held on the 10th with participation from the Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and related experts. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency
On June 10, Jiyoungmi, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, held the 5th meeting of the Joint Countermeasures Team for Respiratory Infectious Diseases, attended by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and related experts. She stated, "According to our own analysis, the likelihood of a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in a short period of time is low. However, considering the outbreak situation in neighboring countries and virus mutations, domestic cases could increase after late June."
Currently, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients under sample surveillance in South Korea has remained steady at around 100 per week over the past four weeks. The detection rate of the COVID-19 virus in the sample surveillance system for patients with respiratory symptoms is around 8%. Although the domestic situation is still stable, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency pointed out that caution is needed, given the outbreaks in China, Thailand, and Taiwan, as well as the large-scale outbreaks that have occurred during previous summers.
Last summer, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in South Korea increased significantly from 456 in the fourth week of July to 864 in the first week of August, then peaked at 1,362 in the second week of August and 1,441 in the third week. In particular, this year, the NB.1.8.1 COVID-19 variant, which is spreading in China and Southeast Asia, is also increasing its share in South Korea. After being detected domestically for the first time in February, the share of this variant rose sharply to 3.5% in March, 9.9% in April, and 31.4% in May.
Accordingly, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has called for vaccination, warning of the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea this summer. Free COVID-19 vaccinations for the 2024-2025 season are being offered until the end of this month to people aged 65 and older, immunocompromised individuals aged six months or older, and residents and inpatients of infection-prone facilities. As of June 9, the COVID-19 vaccination rate among those aged 65 and older was 47.5%, meaning that five out of ten elderly people have still not been vaccinated.
At the meeting, the government also reviewed the medical response system and the supply of COVID-19 treatments in preparation for a potential surge in cases. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the current stockpile of COVID-19 treatments in South Korea is sufficient to respond to a summer outbreak, based on last year's usage, and the supply of COVID-19 self-test kits is also stable.
Commissioner Ji stated, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plan to monitor pharmaceutical companies' inventory status and hold discussions to enable early imports and increased supply of treatments in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak."
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