Number of Covid-19 inpatients surges sixfold in four years


Covid-19 self-test kits at a convenience store in Seoul on Aug 7, 2024 amid signs of a resurgence in coronavirus cases. – The Korea Herald

SEOUL: The number of patients hospitalised for Covid-19 has grown sharply in South Korea recently amid a virus resurgence in summertime nationwide, health authorities said Friday (Aug 9).

The number of people admitted to 220 hospitals nationwide for Covid-19 came to 861 in the first week of August, the highest level since early February, Yonhap news agency reported Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The figure has grown rapidly from 148 in the second week of July to 226 in the third week and 475 the following week.

The authorities have expected such an uptrend to continue through the end of this month.

The latest wave is sparked by the KP.3 subvariant of the fast-spreading omicron variant, which accounted for 45.5 per cent of the total cases as of July.

Of the inpatients this month, 65.2 per cent were those aged 65 and older, followed by 18.1 per cent aged 50-64.

Despite the surge in the number of patients, more than 90 per cent of them suffer mild symptoms and the country is able to handle the situation under the current medical system.

But the government decided to beef up monitoring of senior citizens and other high-risk groups and double up efforts to ensure stable supplies of medicine and test kits.

It will also resume the vaccination campaign in October, where high-risk groups will be administered vaccines for free, according to Yonhap.

"The risk of respiratory infections rises in summer as indoor places are not fully ventilated and people-to-people contacts can grow during vacation. It is crucial to abide by basic hygiene rules," KDCA chief Jee Young-mee said. – Bernama

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

South Korea , Covid-19 , resurgence

   

Next In Aseanplus News

Singapore Customs warns public against falling for SMS impersonation scam
Indonesia's Prabowo plans whopping US$65bil green fund from selling carbon credits
Thai economy seen growing 3% this year, top finance official says
Man died after being attacked by hornets while cycling along Singapore's Sembawang Park Connector, says coroner
Philippines says China firms still keen to invest despite tensions between the two countries
Death toll from typhoon Yagi rises to 262 in Vietnam; 83 people still missing
Pakistan to grant Hongkongers visa-free access soon, top envoy says
Disney, DirecTV reach deal that restores programming to 11 million satellite TV subscribers
Chinese ambassador Xie Feng lays down ‘red lines’ in US-China relationship
Nancy Shukri: 223 welfare officers assisting cops in caring for 402 rescued kids

Others Also Read