Covid cases subside but deaths spike above 100

People wait to get tested for Covid-19 at a public health center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Thursday. [YONHAP]

New cases of Covid-19 continued to drop across the country on Thursday, though the number of new deaths soared to a four-month high of over 100.

Korea reported 113,371 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, including 369 imported from overseas, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The total caseload stood at 22,701,921.

The daily tally was down 36.4 percent from last Thursday’s 178,533 cases, or by 17.3 percent from 137,177 cases two weeks ago. Wednesday's figure was down 22.9 percent from last Wednesday’s 180,803 infections, showing that Korea’s sixth wave of the pandemic is subsiding.

The average number of new daily cases in the week from Aug. 19 to Thursday came to 120,148.

The government had said virus cases in the country were likely to start declining this week or next.

In a mathematical modeling report released by the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences the previous day, multiple research teams predicted that a week later, the number of new confirmed cases will be smaller and that the decline will continue.

Despite the fall in infections, Korea’s Covid-19 fatalities rose above 100 for the first time since April 29’s 136 deaths.

There were 108 more people who died of the virus overnight, up by 45 from the previous day and raising the overall death toll to 26,332. The majority, or 66.7 percent, were over 80, while one death was added in the age group below 10.

Regarding the sudden surge in deaths, Ko Jae-young, spokesperson for the KDCA, noted that infections have increased among people aged 60 or older, who are at higher risk of dying from Covid.

“Fatalities are likely to mount for two to three weeks after the current peak, as they tend to rise two to three weeks after increases in new infections,” added Ko during a press briefing on Thursday.

There were 566 hospitalized Covid-19 patients in critical or serious condition. That figure inched down by seven from the previous day, yet still was the second-highest number during the sixth wave.

Of them, 87.6 percent were 60 or older.

Regarding the scrapping of the pre-departure Covid-19 test requirement for incoming travelers, health authorities once again stressed that the idea is “under review”.

Japan decided to waive pre-departure Covid-19 tests for incoming travelers who have received three doses of a vaccine in an announcement made Wednesday. It is still restricting individual travelers.

Korea is the only country out of the 38 OECD nations that still requires a Covid-19 test before entering.

For incoming travelers, Korea requires a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result performed within 48 hours of the departure date or a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) result performed within 24 hours.

“The pre-departure Covid-19 test is being reviewed by comprehensively considering the effects on the domestic virus situation,” the KDCA spokesperson said Thursday. “The outcome of the review will be announced soon.”

The government is also reportedly discussing ways to lift the testing requirement gradually starting with travel destinations at a short distance.

“We are reviewing scrapping pre-departure Covid tests sequentially from short-distance travels such as Japan and China,” a health official who requested anonymity told the JoongAng Ilbo.

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