Booths for conducting COVID-19 rapid antigen tests are set up at an office of Kakao, the operator of South Korea’s top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, in the city of Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Feb. 9, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections rose sharply to hit another high of nearly 50,000 on Wednesday amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant, with authorities placed on heightened alert expecting yet another all-time high for the following day.
The country reported 49,567 new COVID-19 infections, including 49,402 local cases, raising the total to 1,131,248, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
It marked the first time that the daily tally exceeded the 40,000 level. The previous daily record high was 38,689 recorded Sunday.
Health authorities and local governments had reported 48,437 new cases as of 9 p.m., up 7,493 from the same time the previous day and marking the highest-ever tally compiled for the time.
Authorities expect the daily case tally to reach above 50,000 for the first time Thursday.
Daily cases are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.
The daily caseload surged to over 30,000 for the first time Saturday, just three days after breaking the 20,000 mark, and stayed between 30,000 and 40,000 for four days in a row.
New infections have soared by nearly fourfold over the past two weeks over the omicron variant, which accounted for more than 92 percent of the total cases reported last week.
The health authorities have warned that the figure could reach 170,000 by around the end of this month, though it is too early to say if it will be the peak of the omicron surge.
The death toll from COVID-19 came to 6,943, up 21 from Tuesday. The fatality rate was 0.61 percent.
The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was 285, up 17 from a day earlier, the KDCA said.
At-home care patients rose sharply to 168,020 as more people have shown mild or no symptoms. As of Wednesday, the country had the capacity to manage 183,000 at-home care patients, according to the KDCA.
A truck carrying U.S.-based biotechnology company Novavax Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine departs from a factory of SK Bioscience Co. in Andong, 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, under the escort of the military and police on Feb. 9, 2022. Earlier in the day, the food and drug safety ministry allowed the domestic release of 840,000 doses of the vaccine produced by the South Korean drugmaker. (Yonhap)
In a move to better manage the situation under the current medical system, the authorities decided to make daily checkup calls to only COVID-19 patients in their 60s and older and those who are prescribed Paxlovid antiviral treatment pills and deemed in need of extra care.
Low-risk patients will be left to check their conditions by themselves and contact local hospitals if their conditions worsen.
Earlier, the health authorities classified citizens in their 50s and with underlying health issues and those with a compromised immune system as high-risk groups, but it changed the guidelines, saying that serious COVID-19 patients with preexisting medical conditions are mostly sent to clinics or community centers for treatment.
The new measures will be in place starting Thursday.
“Given features of the omicron variant, the government changed the COVID-19 response strategy to focus more on taking care of serious cases and minimize deaths,” Second Vice Health and Welfare Minister Ryu Geun-hyuk said.
For low-risk, at-home care patients, the government has been running nighttime counseling centers and reserved a certain portion of hospital beds at emergency rooms across the country, he added.
The government also announced a new medical response guideline, which will be applied when daily infections surpass the 50,000 level.
Under the scheme, medical clinics can take care of COVID patients at general wards if they have difficulties in setting up negative-pressure facilities.
It will also have medical staff work even though they test positive for the new coronavirus in the case that they are fully vaccinated, have mild or no symptoms, and get a negative result in a test after a three-day quarantine, the KDCA said.
Citizens line up to undergo COVID-19 tests at a makeshift testing station in Seoul on Feb. 8, 2022. (Yonhap)
As of Tuesday, 28.59 million people, or 55.7 percent of the country’s 52 million population, had received booster shots. The number of fully vaccinated people came to 44.16 million people, accounting for 86 percent.
On Wednesday, U.S.-based biotechnology company Novavax Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine became available in South Korea after being manufactured at home by local vaccine developer SK Bioscience Co. following the government’s authorization of its use last month.
Some 292,000 doses were released in the day, and around 2 million doses will be provided within this month.
The company plans to provide a total of 40 million doses to the country in phases according to the government’s inoculation program, the KDCA and the bio firm said.
It is expected to be administered to unvaccinated people aged 18 or older, as well as for those who are to receive their second and booster shots. The authorities have said that this “classic” type of vaccine could encourage more people to consider getting shots.
The KDCA plans to announce detailed inoculation plans later this week.
Meanwhile, effective on Wednesday, the duration of the mandatory quarantine for all COVID-19 patients was set at seven days.
Previously, those who did not receive coronavirus vaccines were required to be in isolation for 10 days, while the seven-day quarantine was a must for vaccinated patients.
(Yonhap)
