Respiratory infectious diseases such as Corona 19 and the flu are spreading as the quarantine policy is eased and the time to stay indoors increases due to the consecutive heat and rainy season.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 24th, the number of corona19 confirmed cases since the 18th has exceeded 40,000 for 6 consecutive days, recording 41,995 → 47,029 → 40,861 → 40,904 → 42,500 → 41,590. It is the first time in six months since January that the number of confirmed cases of Corona 19 exceeded 40,000. The 47,029 recorded on the 19th is the highest since January 11 (54,315).
The weekly average daily number of confirmed cases more than doubled in one month from 16,025 in the third week of June to 36,260 (estimated) in the third week of July. The number of severely ill patients was 151, 24 more than the previous week (127). The number of deaths was 57 (daily average of 8), an increase of 9 from 48 the previous week. This brings the cumulative death toll to 35,216, with a fatality rate of 0.11%.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced that it will carry out the second stage of the Corona Crisis Level Adjustment Roadmap, which will lower the current Level 2 Corona Infectious Disease Level to Level 4, the same level as influenza (flu), around August. In the second stage, military service will be further eased by lifting the obligation to wear an indoor mask that remains in some facilities, such as hospital-level or higher medical institutions, and converting it into a recommendation.
In addition to COVID-19, other respiratory infectious diseases메이저놀이터 such as the flu and cold are also spreading. According to the weekly newsletter for surveillance of infectious diseases recently announced by the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of suspected flu patients in the 28th week (9th to 15th) increased for 4 consecutive weeks to 16.9 per 1,000 outpatients. The number of suspected flu patients decreased after the winter season, but rebounded from June, steadily rising from 15 (week 25) → 16.1 (week 26) → 16.3 (week 27) → 16.9. In addition, the number of cold patients caused by adenovirus and rhinovirus is also increasing, and the situation of ‘multidemic (simultaneous epidemic of infectious diseases)’ is getting worse.
Normally, the virus weakens during the hot summer months, but this year is an exception. Almost no one wears a mask due to the repetitive heat and rainy season, and more time spent indoors has created an environment favorable for the spread of the virus. Another reason is that immunity has decreased due to a decrease in exposure to the virus due to the Corona 19 quarantine policy that has been going on for several years. Immunity created by vaccination against Corona 19 and flu during the last winter season is also weakened.
Experts are concerned that the concentrated vacation period from late July to early August could be an inflection point in the epidemic of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases are spreading not only in Korea, but also in Asian countries such as Japan and Hong Kong, where many Koreans visit for overseas travel. In Japan, as of the 26th week, the number of flu patients per medical institution was 1.26, an increase from the previous week (1.2). In Hong Kong, the number of suspected flu cases per 1,000 people also increased from 2.1 to 2.6. Japan NHKCiting data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (corresponding to the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea), about 5,000 medical institutions across Japan reported 45,108 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the first week of July, an increase of 9,361 from the previous week.