2024-08-02 18:29:58
The COVID-19 virus, which seemed to be subsiding, has begun to show its strength again.
The number of hospitalized patients, which had been on a downward trend since last winter, reversed course at the end of June, and then doubled in just one week last week, causing quarantine authorities to closely monitor the trend.
According to the status of hospitalized patients at 220 surveillance institutions with 200 or more beds nationwide released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 2nd, the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from the 21st to the 30th of last month was 465, doubling the previous week (226).
Looking at the trend, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients peaked in the first week of February and then continued to decline, then reversed from 63 in the fourth week of June (week 26) to 91 in early July (week 27), then increased to 148 in the 28th week and 226 in the 29th week. This is a 3.57-fold increase over four weeks.
The types of viruses that are prevalent have also changed. The detection rate of JN.1, which was the dominant type, decreased by about 40%p from 59.3% in June to 19.5% last month, and the proportion of the new variant, KP.3, increased by 27.78%p from 12.1% in June to 39.8%.
The majority of hospitalized patients are elderly, with 64.8% of patients hospitalized this year being aged 65 or older.
It is analyzed that the resurgence of the COVID-19 virus is being influenced by a combination of factors, including the emergence of a new virus, heat waves, and the vacation season.
A disease control agency official explained, “Originally, when a new variant appears, the number of patients tends to increase, and because of the heat wave, the use of air conditioners has led to poor ventilation, creating an environment in which infectious diseases can spread more easily,” adding, “Furthermore, because it is the vacation season, there is more contact between people, so these factors are working in combination.”
The COVID-19 virus initially showed a tendency to spread slightly during the summer.
The official said, “If you look at the statistics for 2022 and last year, the number of COVID-19 patients increased slightly in July and August, but decreased in late August.” He added, “It seems that there may be seasonal effects, so we need to watch the trend a little longer.”
The characteristics of KP.3, which is currently the dominant strain, also play a role in the fact that the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency is asking to wait and see the trend even though the number of hospitalized patients has doubled in a week.
This official explained, “KP.3 has been trending in the US, UK, Europe, and Japan since the early days, and according to the data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of patients keeps increasing and decreasing, but the fatality rate and severity remain the same.” He added, “If the number of confirmed cases and deaths had increased significantly in countries where the disease was already prevalent, they would have been very nervous, but for now, there is no need to be too anxious.”
Accordingly, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency plans to closely monitor the situation while promoting the importance of following personal hygiene rules and ventilation.
An official from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, “Since closed environments create an environment where respiratory infections can easily spread, you must ventilate the space at least once every two hours even if you have the air conditioner on,” and urged, “Please follow the quarantine guidelines, such as maintaining personal hygiene and wearing a mask if you have respiratory symptoms.”
Starting in October, vaccination against JN.1, the ancestor of the KP.3 variant virus, will also begin.
The vaccine administered in the first half of this year was effective against XBB.1.5, which was prevalent last winter and fall, but it is known that the vaccine against JN.1 is effective against KP.3 or KP.2, which are currently prevalent.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has already secured 7.55 million doses of the JN.1 vaccine to be used for COVID-19 vaccinations in the 2024-2025 season and has completed a contract early last month.
The vaccines secured by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency are to be used for inoculating high-risk groups such as those aged 65 and older, and consist of 7.23 million doses of mRNA and 320,000 doses of synthetic antigen.
(Seoul = News 1)
2024-08-02 18:29:58