Resurgence of COVID-19 in full swing

As COVID-19 cases surge again, a boarding high school in the Gangwon Province reported a cluster outbreak, with about 30% of its student body testing positive. In the third week of August, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations increased to 1,444, showing a slowdown in the growth rate, but it was still the highest level recorded this year.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Thursday, 1,444 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized across 220 sample surveillance hospitals nationwide from August 11 to 17, a 5.7% increase from the previous week. COVID-19 hospitalizations, which stood at just 63 in the fourth week of June, began to rise sharply in July, reaching 474 by the fourth week of that month and 1,366 by the second week of August. Health authorities estimate that the total number of infections, including mild cases that have not been tested or hospitalized, could be around 200,000.

At a COVID-19 briefing, KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee said that the current summer wave is expected to peak this week or next, with the number of cases likely to be lower than the initially projected 350,000. Given the slowing pace of the increase, the KDCA does not plan to raise the crisis level or reintroduce social distancing measures.

However, the overlap of the COVID-19 resurgence with the start of the new school year is causing concern among students and parents about potential mass infections. In one boarding high school in Gangwon Province, the first case was reported just two days after classes resumed last week, with the number of confirmed cases quickly rising to 49, or 30% of the entire student body.


Sung-Min Park min@donga.com