Level of personal concern about COVID-19 hits highest

About eight in 10 South Korean people said they were worried about contracting the novel coronavirus, showing the highest level of concern ever seen since the respiratory virus arrived here early this year.

According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea released on Friday, 83 percent of respondents saw the coronavirus as a threat to their personal health with 46 percent saying that they were “very worried” and 37 percent who were “concerned to a certain degree.”

The survey was carried out on 1,002 adults in the country between Aug. 18 and Aug. 20.

Those who said they are not worried accounted for 12 percent. Four percent said they are “not concerned at all.”

The latest survey shows the highest level of personal concern over COVID-19, exceeding the level gauged in late February when the country saw spikes in new cases due to an infection cluster in the southeastern city of Daegu tied to a religious group called the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. In the fifth week of February, 77 percent said they had concerns about the virus.

The figure has been gradually lowered to 55 percent in the first week of May but rebounded to over 70 percent in June and July.

On Friday, South Korea reported 324 new cases, hitting the highest number in a series of three-digit daily figures the country registered for 8 days in a row.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)