New Covid wave could peak by Aug-end in S. Korea, govt beefs up responses

SEOUL — An ongoing wave of Covid-19 is forecast to reach a peak around the end of August after the summer vacation season in South Korea, the health authorities said on Tuesday, vowing to strengthen responses to curb its spread.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), South Korea has seen a sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, with virus hospitalisations at 220 major medical institutions nationwide rising sixfold in a month to come to 861 as of the first week of August, Yonhap news agency reported.

“The uptrend could peak around the end of August, as contacts among people will grow after the summer vacation and such changes could affect the infection trend,” KDCA official Hong Jeong-il said.

“Not enough ventilation with air conditioning in the summertime is also a major cause of the summer surge,” he added.

To curb the spread, the KDCA has decided to expand the virus response team to enhance monitoring of the situation at home and abroad, analysis of infections, and the management of treatment and other medical supplies.

A director-level official had led the task force, but KDCA chief Jee Young-mee now leads the widened entity for swifter responses, it added.

The government will also set up a consultative body with experts for regular discussions about the trend and antivirus measures. Their first meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

“We had experienced a shortage of test kits but we’ve now secured supplies. We will buy additional Covid-19 treatments to meet growing demand,” Hong added.

The government also plans to resume its vaccination campaign in October, where high-risk groups will be administered vaccines for free.

The current wave is primarily led by KP.3, an Omicron subvariant that constituted 45.5 percent of cases in South Korea last month and is also driving the summer wave elsewhere around the world.

More than 90 per cent of the patients suffer mild symptoms as the fatality and severity of the subvariant are relatively low, and the country can handle the situation under the current medical system, the KDCA said.

However, it has called on people to adhere to preventive measures as a majority of inpatients are senior citizens and high-risk groups.

In May, the South Korean government downgraded the infection level of Covid-19 and lifted most of the last-remaining antivirus regulations in a move to fully return to pre-pandemic normalcy.

The exact number of infections and other details about the virus are not currently available as the authorities no longer collect national data in the way they used to.