screening laboratoryAs the COVID-19 epidemic is approaching its peak due to the spread of Omicron mutation, the daily number of new confirmed cases is expected to reach around 90,000 the day before the announcement on the 16th.
According to the tally of each local government, 85,114 people tested positive for COVID-19 in 17 cities and provinces nationwide from 00:00 to 9pm the day before.
This is a 28,787 increase from the 56,327 total for the same time period the previous day.
From 9 pm to midnight, new confirmed cases are highly likely to record around 90,000 as of 0 o’clock on the same day.
As of 00:00 the previous day, there were 57,177 new confirmed cases, a record high, and the number of confirmed cases surged by nearly 30,000 in just one day.
With the relentless explosion, the number of confirmed cases in the leading digits is changing from 50,000 to 60,000 and 70,000, going straight to 80,000 or 90,000.
Diffusion from Omicron▶ Click here for a larger view
The government, synthesizing the forecasts of experts, expects that there will be between 130,000 and 170,000 confirmed cases per day at the end of this month, and it is rapidly approaching this estimate.
As Omicron, which has strong transmission power, becomes the dominant species, the number of confirmed cases is doubling (doubled) every week. The number of new confirmed cases last week (2.6-12) averaged 46,41 per day, more than double the number of 22,655 people in the previous week (1.30-2.5).
At this rate of spread, there is a possibility that close to 170,000 confirmed cases will occur in the next week, earlier than the government expected.
The National Institute of Mathematical Sciences also predicted that up to 360,000 people might be confirmed a day at the beginning of next month. Experts predict that the domestic trend might peak next month.
Koh Jae-young, spokesperson for the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), said at a back briefing on the previous day, “As the spread of Omicron is accelerating, the daily average number of confirmed cases is increasing for three consecutive weeks. did.
Diffusion from Omicron▶ Click here for a larger view
In such a situation, if the government eases social distancing, the number of confirmed cases might increase more rapidly. The government is scheduled to announce a plan to adjust the distance on the 18th, but the possibility of easing the measures is more weighted than the current ones.
In a situation where the number of confirmed cases is rapidly increasing, the government has changed its quarantine and medical policies to focus on high-risk groups, including COVID-19 diagnostic tests, epidemiological investigations, and home treatment management. It was decided to focus on ‘minimizing the severity and death’.
Therefore, the management of critically ill patients and deaths has become important. The number of severe cases and deaths has also returned to an increasing trend in recent years.
The number of severe cases of severe cases remained at 200 for 16 days in a row, but rose to 300 from the 14th. The death toll stood at 61 the day before, the highest since the 19th of last month (74).
Spokesperson Koh explained, “The number of patients with severe cases is not increasing in proportion to the rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases.” He explained that this is due to the characteristics of Omicron and the high tertiary vaccination rate, which have a strong transmission power but a low severity rate.
However, quarantine authorities are closely monitoring the situation, reporting that if the number of confirmed cases increases exponentially due to Omicron’s strong transmission power, it may cause difficulties in maintaining essential social functions and increase the number of severe cases and deaths.
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