Covid-19 cases may plateau, not plummet

Social Affairs

Published: 31 Mar. 2022, 19:15

Covid-19 cases may plateau, not plummet

A boy receives a Covid-19 vaccine shot at a hospital in Gwangju on Thursday, as the government began administering Pfizer shots to children between the ages of 5 and 11. [YONHAP]

Korea’s daily Covid-19 tally fell to the 300,000 range on Thursday, showing a gradual plateau.

The country reported 320,743 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) data showed, which was a decrease of 13,898 from the previous day, of 74,789 compared to the previous week, and 30,445 from two weeks ago.

The total caseload stood at 13,095,631, accounting for 25.4 percent of Korea's total population.

Despite the drop in infections, the number of patients in critical care rose by 14 from the day before to hit a new high of 1,315.

Virus-related deaths soared by 375 in a single day.

Earlier, experts predicted that rather than cases hitting a peak and showing a steep decline, they could plateau for a considerable period of time.

The reason behind a slow downtrend is the dominance of Stealth Omicron, the new variant. Unlike countries abroad, such as the United States and Europe, which are facing new waves triggered by the Stealth Omicron variant, Korea’s pandemic is continuing in the form of a long tail.

Experts forecast that a clear decline isn’t likely to appear until April. According to the latest predictions by research institutions disclosed by the government, the daily tally may decrease to less than 300,000 by April 6 and below 200,000 by April 20.

Yet uncertainties remain.

In a briefing on Monday, the KDCA commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong warned the country should “keep an eye on the impact of the BA.2 subvariant”, another name for Stealth Omicron, citing countries like Germany and Austria that have experienced cases rebounding after two to three weeks from their virus peaks.

Lee Sang-won, head of the epidemiological investigations team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, mentioned in the same briefing that “there is still possibility for fluctuation” of the Covid-19 trend.

A report in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday said “Korea could be the first country to transition into an endemic,” citing an expert’s opinion.

The article said although Korea’s virus peak is three times larger in terms of the number of cases compared to the U.S. and Britain, the government decided to stop virus control measures. At the same time, the WSJ said that Korea’s cumulative Covid-19 fatality rate is the lowest in the world. Thanks to a high vaccination rate and a stable medical system, the country has the appropriate means to escape the pandemic, it said.

From Thursday, Korea began inoculating children between the ages of 5 and 11.

The government advised kids with chronic diseases to get the vaccines.

In addition, Korea launched a large-scale follow-up investigation into the aftereffects of Covid-19, also known as Long Covid.

The National Institute of Health under the KDCA said on Thursday that it has been conducting surveys of around 1,000 Covid-19 patients three months after their diagnosis and then six months after.

According to the authorities, the survey will be conducted through a network of 14 domestic medical institutions in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, Gyeongsang, Busan, and Jeju, and the interim results will be analyzed in the second half of this year.

Common symptoms of Long Covid included fatigue, difficulty breathing, shortness of memory, sleep disorders and mood disorders, which were found in 20 to 79 percent of patients, the institute added.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]