Number of Covid-19 patients in South Korea increased 6 times in one month

Yonhap news agency quoted the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) as saying that reports from 220 hospitals nationwide showed that the number of people hospitalized for Covid-19 in the first week of August reached 861, the highest level since early February. Notably, this number increased rapidly from 148 in the second week of July to 226 in the third week and 475 in the following week. Health officials predict that the number of cases will continue to increase until the end of this month.

The latest wave of Covid-19 originated from the fast-spreading KP.3 sub-variant of the Omicron variant, which accounted for 45.5% of all cases as of July. Of Covid-19 patients hospitalized this August, 65.2% were aged 65 and over, followed by 18.1% aged 50-64.

Despite the surge in cases, more than 90% of patients have mild symptoms, which has not put pressure on the South Korean health system. However, the government has decided to strengthen health monitoring measures for the elderly and other high-risk groups, while stepping up efforts to ensure a stable supply of drugs and test kits. The South Korean government will also resume its Covid-19 vaccination campaign in October, with high-risk groups receiving free vaccines.

KDCA Director Jee Young-mee noted that the risk of contracting respiratory viruses increases during the summer because indoor spaces are not well ventilated and the level of human-to-human contact may increase during the holiday. The official stressed the need to follow basic hygiene rules.