COVID-19 cases to peak by late August: KDCA

The number of COVID-19 cases is expected to reach its peak by the end of this month, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, vowing to expand its COVID-19 response team and implement stricter antivirus measures.

As of the first week of August, the agency said up to 861 cases have been recorded at 220 major medical institutions around the country, a sixfold increase compared to the number of cases from July.

“The surge could peak around the end of August, as contacts among people will grow after their summer vacation plans, which could affect the trend in infection numbers,” said KDCA official Hong Jeong-il in a radio interview on MBC.

Hong added that “poor ventilation” due to air conditioning in summer could also be one of the main causes behind the recent surge in case numbers.

In recent weeks, South Korea has seen a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 infection cases. According to the KDCA, the number of infection cases has steadily decreased from the first week of February until the end of June, when numbers began to steadily increase again.

As part of the agency’s efforts to curb the recent spread, the KDCA has decided to expand the task force to cover a wider range of areas, from initially two response teams under one supervising team to 12 teams under five supervising teams.

The different teams will work to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in Korea and abroad, analyze the infections and manage the methods of treatment and other necessary medical supplies.

The KDCA added that while a director-level official initially led the task force before, the agency’s commissioner Jee Young-mee will lead the entity for a swifter response.

A consultative body that consists of medical experts has also been formed by the government to hold regular discussions about COVID-19 trends and antivirus measures, with its first meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

Hong mentioned on Tuesday that the KDCA also plans to purchase additional supply of COVID-19 antiviral medicines Paxlovid and Lagevrio to meet growing demand by the end of August, adding that a supply of test kits has been currently “secured after experiencing shortages.”

The government will also resume its vaccination rounds in October, with high-risk groups such as those aged 65 and over will be able to receive vaccines for free. Others who wish to be vaccinated but are not in high-risk groups can also receive the vaccinations after paying.

According to the agency, the current COVID-19 wave is led by Omicron subvariant KP.3 -- which has been responsible for 45.5 percent of the cases domestically from July and is currently driving the summer wave of cases globally.

The KDCA added that the government can handle the situation under the current medical system, as the mortality rate for the KP.3 subvariant is relatively low, at less than 0.01 percent for those under age 50 and 0.1 percent nationally.

However, the agency has still called on the public to adhere to preventative measures such as washing hands regularly, wearing masks and regularly ventilating indoor spaces, as the majority of those hospitalized are older or those in high-risk groups.