The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    INTERVIEWAhn Hyo-seop wanted to share dedicated love with 'A Time Called You'

  • 3

    SHINee launches first Japan tour in 5 years

  • 5

    Korea makes last-ditch bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan

  • 7

    Heavy traffic jams mostly eased on 5th day of holiday

  • 9

    Consumers to face higher prices for daily necessities after Chuseok

  • 11

    Samsung chief visits Middle East to explore new businesses

  • 13

    Korea picks up 2 medals in table tennis as gold drought continues

  • 15

    Ruling party vows to investigate China's alleged influence operations

  • 17

    Shin-Hanul No. 2 nuclear reactor begins testing for full operation next year

  • 19

    4 injured in rockfall at tourist attraction on eastern island of Ulleung

  • 2

    Korea's Coast Guard apprehends 22 Chinese after illegal entry attempt

  • 4

    Distraught roller skater apologizes for costly premature celebration

  • 6

    S. Korea wins 1st table tennis gold in 21 yrs

  • 8

    Public transit fares to increase in Seoul and Busan this week

  • 10

    LA-based photographer captures Koreatown unfazed by pandemic

  • 12

    No regrets for roller skaters after taking silver in relay

  • 14

    National Assembly speeds up efforts to outlaw dog meat consumption in Korea

  • 16

    'Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman' tops Chuseok holiday box office

  • 18

    Internet-only banks outperform legacy lenders in labor productivity

  • 20

    Genesis GV80 Coupe looks to compete with Mercedes-Benz, BMW

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Wed, October 4, 2023 | 20:23
Health & Science
Concerns rise over post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases
Posted : 2022-02-02 16:01
Updated : 2022-02-02 20:49
Lee Hyo-jin
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
A medical worker guides people standing in line for COVID-19 tests at a testing station in Songpa District of Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
A medical worker guides people standing in line for COVID-19 tests at a testing station in Songpa District of Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Daily infections surpass 20,000 for 1st time amid Omicron spread

By Lee Hyo-jin

Concerns are rising over a potential upsurge of COVID-19 infections following the Lunar New Year holiday, with the current Omicron-led wave of infections showing no signs of abating here.

The long weekend which ran from Jan. 31 through Wednesday, during which millions of people traveled across the country to visit their families, is feared to have fueled the spread of the coronavirus.

Daily new infections for Tuesday reached yet another record high of 20,270, breaking the 20,000-mark for the first time since the pandemic broke out, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The positivity rate, which means the percentage of people who tested positive out of all the people tested in a given period, stood at 8.9 percent, a slight decline from an all-time high of 9.3 percent the previous day.

Driven up by the highly contagious Omicron variant, infections are rising at an unprecedented speed. The daily caseload has more than doubled in just a week since 8,570 cases were reported on Jan. 25.

The steeper-than-expected increase of infections has placed health authorities on high alert, as this may take a toll on the newly-adopted quarantine system aimed at tackling the highly transmissible but less lethal Omicron variant.

New COVID cases top 20,000 for 1st time amid raging spread of Omicron
New COVID cases top 20,000 for 1st time amid raging spread of Omicron
2022-02-02 10:21  |  Health & Science

Since late January, Korea has shifted its focus to early diagnosis and treatment among high risk patients. Hospitalization has been reserved only for the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, while others with mild symptoms have been placed under home treatment.

But the government's home treatment capacity is quickly reaching its limit.

As of Tuesday, the number of patients under homecare stood at 89,420, accounting for 81 percent of the total capacity the government can handle.

However, despite the soaring number of cases, it remains to be seen if social distancing measures will be strengthened after the current one ends on Sunday.

"Social distancing measures entail huge socio-economic costs. We will further toughen the measures if our medical system is on the verge of collapse, but we haven't reached such a point yet," said Health Ministry spokesman Son Young-rae, Jan. 28.

"Our goal is to curb Omicron infections without a further tightening of distancing measures," he added.

A medical worker guides people standing in line for COVID-19 tests at a testing station in Songpa District of Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
A sign at a COVID-19 testing site in Songpa District, Seoul, reads that only priority groups, including people aged 60 and over, along with those who have tested positive for a rapid antigen test, are eligible for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, Wednesday. Yonhap

PCR tests available only for high risk groups from Thursday

While many people are expected to scramble to testing sites on Thursday after the Lunar New Year weekend, not all of them will be able to receive free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

Under the new testing protocol, only priority groups such as people aged 60 and over, along with those who have come in close contact with a COVID-19 patient, are eligible for a free PCR test.

Others can undergo PCR tests only when they test positive through rapid antigen tests, also known as self-testing kits. People aged below 60 experiencing COVID-19 symptoms will need a doctor's recommendation to get the PCR test.

These policy changes are feared to trigger a shortage of self-testing kits, with pharmacies in some densely-populated regions already running out of the test kits.

Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday it is cooperating with testing kit makers to produce 6.86 million kits which will be available at testing centers nationwide in the next couple of weeks, along with 9.6 million more of the products to be distributed online.




Emaillhj@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
wooribank
LG
Top 10 Stories
1Public transit fares to increase in Seoul and Busan this week Public transit fares to increase in Seoul and Busan this week
2Ruling party vows to investigate China's alleged influence operations Ruling party vows to investigate China's alleged influence operations
3Genesis GV80 Coupe looks to compete with Mercedes-Benz, BMW Genesis GV80 Coupe looks to compete with Mercedes-Benz, BMW
4Korean steelmakers on alert over initiation of EU carbon border tariff Korean steelmakers on alert over initiation of EU carbon border tariff
5Korean shipbuilders seek lead over Chinese rivals in selling LNG carriers to Qatar Korean shipbuilders seek lead over Chinese rivals in selling LNG carriers to Qatar
630 out of 74 major financial companies lack female board member 30 out of 74 major financial companies lack female board member
7Hyundai, Kia to extend earnings rally on strengthening dollar, solid sales Hyundai, Kia to extend earnings rally on strengthening dollar, solid sales
8Dong-A Socio Group’s honorary chairman passes away at 96Dong-A Socio Group’s honorary chairman passes away at 96
9Lawmakers want chairmen of financial firms held accountable over misconduct Lawmakers want chairmen of financial firms held accountable over misconduct
10Returning home from Chuseok holiday Returning home from Chuseok holiday
Top 5 Entertainment News
1TREASURE takes flak for excluding Dokdo from its Japan tour map TREASURE takes flak for excluding Dokdo from its Japan tour map
2Two artists' windows to light and serenity Two artists' windows to light and serenity
3Crime thriller, romance series set to roll out in October Crime thriller, romance series set to roll out in October
4Korean literature featured as animation works at Incheon Airport Korean literature featured as animation works at Incheon Airport
5[PHOTOS] Kep1er returns with 'Magic Hour' to mesmerize fans PHOTOSKep1er returns with 'Magic Hour' to mesmerize fans
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group