“There is no reason for the number of confirmed cases to decrease for the time being. There are signs of a fourth epidemic.”
As the spread of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) across the country is increasing, there is a growing sense of crisis that the fourth pandemic in the spring will become a reality. Warning lights are already on the main quarantine indicators.
On the 31st of last month, medical staff are busy examining citizens at the Corona 19 Screening Clinic in front of the Hanbat Gymnasium in Daejeon. Freelancer Kim Seong-tae
“Key indicators deteriorate”… Government’discussion to the people’ scheduled
According to the Central Defense Countermeasure Headquarters of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 4th, 543 new patients occurred as of 0 o’clock on the day, reaching 500 for the fifth day. There were 514 cases of regional outbreaks, and the average daily regional patients for one week (3.28~4.3) was 477.3. Compared to 421.6, which was the previous week (3.21~27), it increased by 55.7. It showed an increasing trend in the range of 2.5 levels of social distancing (400-500 people), approaching the upper limit of 500 people. In particular, the recent fashion has spread across the country. The proportion of patients in non-metropolitan areas has risen to 40%, with patients coming out one after another, mainly in Gyeongnam and Chungnam.
Looking at the key indicators, experts say it’s unlikely that things will get better. Jeong Jae-hoon, a professor of preventive medicine at Gachon University Medical School, said, “The average number of confirmed patients per week is on the rise, and the daily positive rate indicator is also deteriorating. If the positive rate increases, it can be interpreted as meaning that the number of infected people in hidden communities is increasing. The rate of unclear infection route is also being maintained,” he said. “Because the detailed indicators have deteriorated, the overall indicators will also deteriorate,” he said. The positive rate indicating confirmed cases compared to the number of tests was 2.73% as of 0 o’clock on the 4th day, which was twice as high as the previous day (1.31%). Even though the number of testers decreased significantly due to the effect of the weekend, the number of confirmed cases was not significantly different from that of weekdays. The rate of infection route investigations is increasing, recording 28.3%.
Professor Jeong said, “The problem is that quarantine measures such as social distancing are generally deteriorating, and citizens’ sense of crisis is also falling. It was greatly eased. In particular, in the non-metropolitan area, business restrictions have been removed, restrictions on business types such as entertainment establishments have been lifted, and the number of private gatherings has been loosened. There is no reason for the number of confirmed cases to decrease for the time being. The fourth epidemic could begin.”
The government is also concerned that there are signs of a fourth pandemic. On the 3rd, Kwon Deok-cheol, the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, “It seems to be spreading the base in all everyday spaces and foretelling the fourth outbreak.” “He said.
In front of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul on the morning of the 4th, the second Easter after the’Corona 19′ incident, believers are entering for Easter worship. yunhap news
With the increasing amount of traffic in the spring, there is a great concern about further spread as Easter (4th), Korean food (5th), and refurbishment (7th) are ahead. The government is expected to ask for cooperation in quarantine through dialogue with the public on the afternoon of the 4th.
Worldwide’warning lights’… “I need to speed up the vaccination”
This warning sound is a worldwide phenomenon. In Europe, where the tertiary epidemic is in full swing, the number of patients is increasing in France, Germany, Turkey, and other places, and the spread in the United States, where the number of new patients steadily declines after vaccination, is not serious. In Brazil, there are 70,000 to 80,000 new patients a day.
Bloomberg News recently reported that “the corona is not over and the next wave may be worse.” “Despite extensive vaccinations, the worst outbreaks are accelerating in places where there is less preparation.” The news agency said, “The global infection increased by 47% in March from a lull at the end of February,” and said, “About 600,000 new cases per day, showing a higher increase rate than last year.”
Citizens at Montparnasse station in Paris, France on the 2nd (local time). EPA=Yonhap News
Experts are concerned that the fourth outbreak will come on a larger scale. This is because the baseline (starting point) itself has risen to the level of 400 to 500 people. Prof. Jeong warned of the spring epidemic in February, saying, “It is the information obtained from the three outbreaks that the gap between the outbreaks is shortening and the outbreak is getting bigger.” Had revealed. There are opinions that there is a favorable aspect for quarantine as the virus survives when the temperature rises in general, but Professor Jeong said, “I don’t think the climate has a big impact on infectious diseases. same. “While the season may act as a factor to some extent, it is not a decisive factor.”
The key is to speed up the vaccination as much as possible, but it doesn’t seem easy. On the 4th, the vaccination rate was only 1.85% compared to the domestic population (52 million people).
On the 2nd, at the Corona 19 Vaccination Center in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, where the Pfizer vaccination for elderly 75 years or older is in progress, the elderly are waiting for a while to observe adverse reactions after receiving the vaccination. Freelancer Kim Seong-tae
“Only 10 million people need to be beaten to help stop the fashion”
Professor Jaehoon Jung said, “It cannot affect the prevention of spread. In order to help stop the epidemic, at least 20% of the inoculation rate is needed. “Under the premise that the quarantine is maintained at the current level, the infectious reproductive index (an indicator of how many people infected by one confirmed person) falls below 1 It means that at least 10 million people should be vaccinated, but it will be possible only from the end of June to the end of July,” he said.
At a briefing on the 2nd, the government announced that it will vaccinate the first vaccination targets in the second quarter, including third-year high school students and teachers. The vaccination period for kindergarten and daycare teachers is also pulled from June to May. The goal is to increase the number of primary inoculations as much as possible, but the supply and demand of vaccines is still uncertain. The amount of vaccines that were confirmed to be introduced in the second quarter was 15,397,000 doses (76,78500 people).
Professor Jeong said, “We have to make a desperate effort to reduce the supply and demand of vaccines.” “In order to be effective in preventing the spread, we will restore the recently relaxed 9:00 p.m. business restriction and restrictions on entertainment establishments in the non-metropolitan area, and if that does not work, It is also necessary to consider raising the distance level.”
Reporter Hwang Soo-yeon [email protected]
