티스토리 뷰
The cumulative number of COVID-19 confirmed patients in Korea has exceeded 10 million. In other words, one out of five Koreans is infected. Although 20% of the total population has natural immunity, it is unclear whether the trend of confirmed cases will turn to a decline like in European countries. This is because the number of stealth omikron patients is increasing, and the possibility of the emergence of new mutations cannot be ruled out.
According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Bang Dae-bon) on the 22nd, as of midnight on the 22nd, the number of COVID-19 confirmed patients increased by 353,980 from the previous day to a cumulative 9,936,540. As of midnight on the 23rd, the cumulative number of confirmed patients exceeded 10 million.
Due to the government's quarantine centered on suppressing the epidemic, the spread of COVID-19 in Korea has been slower than in major overseas countries. It was 748 days after the first confirmed case in Korea on the 6th of last month that the cumulative number of confirmed cases exceeded 1 million. However, as Omikron became dominant in January, the cumulative number of confirmed cases increased rapidly. In just over a month and a half after exceeding 1 million, 9 million more people were infected, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases increased to 10 million.
There are also expectations that the trend will ease in the future, but the majority opinion is that it is too early to be relieved. Kim Woo-joo, a professor of infectious medicine at Korea University Guro Hospital, said, "Including hidden infected people or asymptomatic and mild patients, 25-30% of the people are actually confirmed, reaching the peak of the epidemic and we can expect the number of confirmed cases to decrease soon."
Analysts say that overall school attendance and an increase in confirmed elderly patients will also affect future trends. In fact, 1,628 kindergartens and elementary, middle, and high schools (77.2%) in Seoul are coming to school, and confirmed cases are pouring in. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the same day, 64,048 confirmed cases of elementary, middle and high school students and 5,750 confirmed cases of faculty members for one week from the 14th to the 20th. The cumulative number is 204,418 and 19,029 respectively. In early February, the proportion of confirmed cases aged 60 or older was 7.95% of all confirmed cases, but as of that day, it rose to 15.2%.
Nevertheless, there is a huge shortage of eating treatments that can prevent severe progression of patients. According to data received by Rep. Seo Jung-sook from the Central Disease Control Headquarters, 4,318,777 people in their 40s or older, who are in the range of prescription for Pax Robide, have been confirmed so far. Pax Robide is currently used for people over 60 years of age, immunosuppressive, underlying disease patients in their 50s or older, and underlying disease patients in their 40s or older. Nevertheless, only 163,000 people have introduced Pax Robide five times so far. Only 21.4 percent of the 762,000 people signed by the government.
The government is also pushing for the prescription of MERC's Ragevrio as a replacement for Paxlovid. However, the effect of preventing hospitalization and death is 30%, so it is not known how much it will be used in the medical field. Rep. Seo stressed, "As the supply and demand of treatments to prevent the seriousness is absolutely insufficient, even if there is a limit to paying royalties to overseas pharmaceutical companies, we should have them produce Paxrobead generic drugs in Korea." Kim Tak, a professor of infectious medicine at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, said, "In the short term, we need to focus on treating severely ill and special patients, and in the long run, we need to establish an infectious disease monitoring system and expand medical capabilities."