On the afternoon of the 7th, citizens who visited the National Debt Compensation Movement Memorial Park in Jung-gu, Daegu, where plum blossoms are in full bloom, are lining up to undergo corona 19 testing at the temporary screening inspection center. Daegu = Yonhap News
Despite the holiday, the number of new coronavirus infections (Corona 19) as of 0 o’clock on the 7th recorded 400 new cases for two consecutive days, raising concerns about the ‘4th epidemic’. Usually, on Sundays and early weeks, the number of confirmed cases decreased due to the decrease in the number of tests, and then increased again in the middle of the week, but this’weekend effect’ has disappeared this time. The quarantine authorities decided to more than double their inspection capacity to block the fourth outbreak.
According to the Central Defense Response Headquarters, the number of corona 19 confirmed cases in Korea recorded 416 as of 0 o’clock on the 7th. There seems to be little change given that it has maintained the 300-400 range over the past week. However, on the 3rd and 6th, there were about 60,000 corona19 tests a day, and considering that the number of tests on that day has decreased significantly to about 40,000, the number of 400 confirmed cases is unusual.
The quarantine authorities believe that it is difficult to predict the future trend of the outbreak with just this number, but there is still a possibility that the number of confirmed cases will increase. Tae-ho Yoon, head of quarantine prevention at the Central Accident Control Headquarters, said, “Usually on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays (the number of confirmed patients) and weekends (decreased tests), the situation has been largely affected, but the situation has been flexible. “The up and down stagnation has been going on for 7 weeks, so the biggest concern is how to turn it into a decline.” He also mentioned that he was concerned about the 4th outbreak, saying, “There is a possibility that the corona 19 virus will spread again when considering the increase in the amount of movement in the spring, the fatigue caused by the prolonged corona 19 and the relaxation of tension due to the start of vaccination, and the mutant virus. .
There is also concern that the proportion of patients in the metropolitan area is increasing. On the 14th-20th of last month, 74% of all new confirmed cases were patients in the metropolitan area. This proportion increased to 75.2% from the 21st to the 27th of the same month and 79.3% from the 28th to the 5th of this month. In the metropolitan area, an average of 295 patients a day occurred last week, compared to 77 in the non-metropolitan area.
In the non-metropolitan area, the number of confirmed cases temporarily increased and then stabilized due to group infection, but the number of confirmed cases in the metropolitan area, which led the third outbreak, is stagnating, with the number of confirmed cases seldom decreasing. The quarantine authorities cited’population density’ as the main cause. “The metropolitan area is so dense that if the population moves, much more transmission can occur,” said Mr. Yoon. “With the tertiary epidemic not stabilizing, there is a situation where infected people remain in the local community.”
The quarantine authorities decided to strengthen their quarantine capabilities to prevent the 4th outbreak. It plans to expand the capacity to test for Corona 19, which is currently 230,000 cases per day, to 500,000 cases, and to apply a test method that suits the situation. The plan is to screen out asymptomatic or mildly infected people early by expanding a temporary screening laboratory where even people without symptoms can be tested. “It is not over until the end,” said General Yoon, “the battle against Corona 19 is not over yet, and it is not time to relieve tensions about quarantine.”
Lim So-hyung reporter [email protected]
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