Covid infections top 20,000 but many cases are mild

Social Affairs

Published: 02 Feb. 2022, 18:18

Covid infections top 20,000 but many cases are mild

A staffer at a respiratory clinic in Seoul shows its Covid-19 examination room Wednesday. Starting Thursday, the country will begin a new Omicron-tailored virus response system and smaller hospitals and clinics will take part in Covid-19 testing. [YONHAP]

Daily Covid-19 infections surpassed 20,000 for the first time Wednesday.

In a Covid-19 response meeting, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum urged people who traveled over the five-day Lunar New Year holiday to get tested, avoid crowded places and monitor their health before returning to their daily lives.

The spread of the Omicron variant "is even quicker than imagined," Kim said, but pointed out that deaths and critical cases have been on the decline.

This is both "good news and bad news," Kim said, calling February a "crucial" period.

Bracing for a spike in cases, the government phased in its new Covid-19 response system last week, which reserves polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for people over 60 or in high-risk groups and offers rapid antigen self-tests to all others.

The new system will be fully implemented across the country Thursday. Another change is that people will be able to get Covid-19 tests and treatment at smaller local hospitals and clinics across the country.

The new approach is meant to prevent an overload of the country's medical system.

Covid-19 treatment will shift to medical institutions specializing in respiratory illness and local hospitals and clinics. They will offer testing, diagnosis, prescription of oral antiviral pills and at-home treatment management.

Health authorities said some 80 percent of confirmed cases in the past week were of the Omicron variant.

The country reported 20,270 new Covid-19 infections Wednesday, bringing total cases 884,310, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The previous record of 18,342 daily cases was hit the previous day. Cases were up 3.5 times compared to two weeks ago and 1.6 times compared to last week. Cases surged into the five digits for the first time just one week ago.

There were 15 more fatalities Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 6,787.

The number of critically ill Covid-19 patients was 278, up only six from the previous day and down 90 from a week ago. Only 15.9 percent of the country's I.C.U. bed capacity of 2,370 is in use.

Of 20,111 domestic transmissions, 6,018 cases were reported in Gyeonggi, 4,186 in Seoul and 1,396 in Incheon. There was also a spike in cases outside of the greater Seoul area, with Busan seeing a record 1,260 daily cases. Daegu reported 1,141 cases.

There were 159 imported cases.

Health authorities warned of a further surge following the Lunar New Year holiday, which ran from Saturday to Wednesday. Daily cases could reach 100,000 by the end of the month, health officials said.

The KDCA said there were 89,420 people getting so-called self-treatment in their homes as of Wednesday, up 6,560 from the previous day. Generally, people being treated at home have mild cases.

There are 439 medical institutions monitoring these self-treatment patients, which have a capacity to manage over 106,000 patients.

Health authorities said Wednesday that a total of 1,004 medical institutions, including respiratory clinics, have agreed to participate in Covid-19 diagnostic testing and treatment.

From Thursday, 391 clinics specializing in respiratory illnesses equipped with negative pressure rooms will test and treat Covid-19 patients.

Another 343 local hospitals and clinics will also begin diagnosing Covid-19 patients and overseeing their treatment.

Other clinics and hospitals will join when they are ready.

An additional 113 temporary Covid-19 screening centers will begin offering rapid antigen self-tests nationwide.

The list of participating Covid-19 treatment hospitals and clinics will be available on the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service website starting Thursday and the Ministry of Health and Welfare website Friday.

Health authorities encouraged people to get booster shots if eligible and to continue to wear masks that are KF80 or a higher quality, practice good hygiene and ventilate closed spaces.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]