Korea was an exemplary country for COVID-19 quarantine. In addition to identifying and responding quickly to movements, control and response were planned by the state. However, ahead of South Korea’s presidential election on March 9, there is a feeling that some policies and administration are cluttered. Finally, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seems to be shifting its direction from a controlling direction to an autonomous system.
I also think that the increasing mutation of each local health center seems a little irresponsible for uncontrollable virus and policy and administrative changes.
With the spread of the Omicron mutation virus, Korea’s daily number of new confirmed cases soared to the world’s second-largest. The number of confirmed cases per million is the No. 1 among countries with more than 10 million people.
As of the 22nd, the number of confirmed cases in Korea per day was 171,452, the highest ever, and more than 70,000 more than the previous day. The growth rate reaches 72%.
As of 9 p.m. on the 23rd, it recorded 161,382, and if counted by midnight, it is expected to record more than 170,000 people again.
According to statistics site Our World Data, the number of confirmed cases in Korea on the 22nd was 171,452, the second largest in the world after Germany’s 221,478.
In terms of the number of confirmed cases per million, 3,342, beating Germany, which recorded 2,640.
The problem is from now on. This is because the U.S., Europe, and Japan are already at their peak, but Korea is the opposite. In fact, the U.S. fell to 99,820 on the same day. There are 41,353 people in the UK and 69,447 in Japan.
The spread rate is also exceeding the expectations of the quarantine authorities. The quarantine authorities predicted 130,000 people on the 23rd and 180,000 people on March 2nd, but the actual number of confirmed cases on the 23rd easily exceeded 170,000.
At this rate, quarantine experts predict that 370,000 confirmed cases will occur at the end of this month to early next month and that the number of severely ill patients will exceed 3,000.
As of the 22nd, the number of critically ill patients receiving treatment at hospitals was 512, which has been steadily increasing since it surpassed 400 on the 18th.
Park Young-joon, head of the epidemiological investigation team at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a briefing, “The fatality rate of Omicron is similar to that of seasonal flu, but if the outbreak is large, it can lead to an emergency.”
Experts maintain this scale for a week after reaching 300,000 next week. It is expected to turn to a decline after the middle of the year.
A team led by Jeong Eun-ok, a professor of mathematics at Konkuk University, announced on the website of the National Institute of Mathematical Sciences that if the infection reproduction index is 1.67, there could be 213,332 new confirmed cases in one week and 334,228 in two weeks.
Choi Jae-wook, a professor of preventive medicine at Korea University College of Medicine, also said, “It is faster than expected,” and predicted, “There could be about 250,000 to 300,000 new confirmed patients after two weeks.”
Jeong Jae-hoon, a professor of preventive medicine at Gachon University, also said, “After the peak of the epidemic, the number of critically ill patients will be the highest in about two weeks,” and stressed, “Even if beds are secured, it is time to check whether they can actually operate.”
Meanwhile, as the number of confirmed cases increased rapidly, the number of patients treated at home increased to 520,000 that day. Most of the local health centers in charge of home treatment stop working and focus on quarantine.
Sam Kim
Asia Journal
