A person who got booster shot confirmed positive for Centaurus

A person in his/her 50s who received the first COVID-19 booster shot has been infected with Coronavirus sub-variant BA.2.75 (aka 'Centaurus') of the Omicron variant. Some assess that the contraction is related to the characteristics of Centaurs with a strong tendency to evade immunity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday that a person in his/her 50s living in Incheon, with the infection of COVID-19 on Tuesday, has been confirmed as the third Centaurus case in the nation. The patient has only mild symptoms and is being treated at home.

The link between this confirmed case and the previous two cases of Centaurus has not been confirmed. This means that at least three transmission cases in Korea were underway in different regions at the same time. Centaurus has eight more spike gene mutations than BA.2, which was called 'stealth omicron,’ rendering it more evasive to immune antibodies developed by vaccination and natural infection. "The share of Centaurus is likely to continue to rise in the future, but so far it is not showing a widespread increase,” said Son Young-rae, head of the social strategy team at the Central Disaster Management. Headquarters.

The situation of the COVID-19 resurgence in Korea is getting worse. As of midnight of Friday, the daily death toll from COVID-19 was 31, up 14 from the previous day. The number of deaths on the same day was the highest since May 28 (36). The number of critically or severely ill patients was 130, which came down to 100 for two days in a row. The number of new confirmed cases stood at 68,309, hovering around 70,000 for four days in a row.

In particular, the number of reinfections is increasing, especially among children and adolescents under the age of 17. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA), 77,092 people were reinfected by July 9, and 33.2% (25,569) were reported to be under the age of 17.

On the same day, the government announced additional measures to prepare for a summer resurgence. First of all, it plans to increase crematoriums and funeral facilities, which were very chaotic during the Omicron pandemic in the first half of the year. Currently, there are 310 operable crematories across the country, and the government plans to increase to 325 via renovation and expansion. It also decided to additionally install 652 mortuary spaces at hospitals dedicated to COVID-19.


Keun-Hyung Yoo noel@donga.com