| A monitor at the disaster control center in Seongnam City Hall, Gyeonggi Province, shows 7,022 daily new COVID-19 cases for Thursday, raising the total caseload to 503,606. Yonhap |
Gov't urged to reinstate tough distancing measures
By Lee Hyo-jin
The government may have failed to curb the current spread of the coronavirus by placing too much reliance on its vaccination plans, according to medical experts, as the country grapples with its worst surge in infections seen during the pandemic.
The experts called for reintroduction of strong social distancing measures to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 7,022 new infections for Thursday, raising the total caseload to 503,606. The number of daily infections has stayed over 7,000 for three consecutive days after hitting an all-time high of 7,174 on Tuesday.
The number of patients in serious condition stood at 852, while 53 deaths were reported, bringing the total death toll to 4,130.
The country added three more cases of the Omicron variant, pushing the total to 63. The three new cases were traced to a church in Incheon, southwest of Seoul, linked to the first cases of the variant in the country.
Alarmed by the worsening virus situation, the government has announced Friday it would shorten the interval between primary vaccinations and booster shots for all individuals aged over 18 to three months, from the current five months, with an aim to speed up rollout of booster shots.
Eligible recipients will be able to make reservations on the KDCA website for their third dose starting Monday.
The health authorities are also striving to increase the vaccination rate on children aged between 12 and 17. The administration is now "strongly recommending" vaccinations for the age group, a change from its stance two months earlier when it said "inoculation of children is a personal choice."
These vaccine-focused strategies, however, are not enough to bring down the surging infections, say medical experts, who predict that at this pace, Korea will see the daily caseload reach 10,000 within this month.
| A dog stands near a coronavirus testing center in Mapo District of Seoul, Friday, while its owner receives a COVID-19 test. Yonhap |
"The milestone of 10,000 daily infections was initially expected to be reached in the year-end party season or in January, but at this pace, we may see it earlier. The country should brace for a 'nightmare before Christmas' unless the authorities take swift measures," said Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Korea University Guro Hospital.
"Though the current spread is led by the Delta variant, if Omicron becomes the dominant strain, we may see daily caseloads doubling within a day like the situation in South Africa," said Chon Eun-mi, a professor at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, calling on the government to introduce "unprecedented measures."
The Central Disease Control Headquarters, for its part, said it will review taking additional quarantine measures next week, if the virus situation does not stabilize by then.
"If necessary, we plan to review putting limits on operating hours of multiuse facilities as well as stronger restrictions on private gatherings," Lee Ki-il, a senior health official, said during a media briefing, Friday.
Meanwhile, the KDCA reaffirmed its plan to expand the "vaccine pass" system to minors, despite strong backlash among parents.
Its earlier announcement to extend the vaccine pass program on those aged between 12 and 17 from February next year was met by fierce opposition from parents, who viewed it as a move "forcing" children to get vaccinated.
| Children and their parents stage a rally in front of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency building in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Thursday, to demand the government withdraw its plan to expand the COVID-19 vaccine pass system to children aged from 12 to 17. Yonhap |
KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong gave an official response, Friday, to a public petition on the presidential website demanding the government withdraw its plan, which garnered over 200,000 signatures.
"The vaccine pass is a bare minimum to ensure the safety of our society. We will come up with detailed measures of the system after gathering opinions of parents and their children to alleviate their anxiety and inconveniences," Jeong said.