S. Korea's second wave of COVID-19 in densely-populated Seoul poses tougher challenges
Arirang News
2020-09-10
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수도권 밀집된 인구, 지역 사회 무증상 감염 등 코로나 재확산 안정세 방해해
South Korea was first hit by COVID-19 back in February,...when a large-scale cluster infection broke out in the southeastern city of Daegu and the surrounding area.
Six months have passed since and the country is battling another major resurgence, this time, centers on the densely-populated capital region which poses tougher challenges than the first.
Lee Kyung-eun explains further.
Experts say, a resurgence is inevitable while fighting against a pandemic unless total lockdowns are imposed...hence why many countries are experiencing such a trend, including Japan, and the U.S.
South Korea is also dealing with a second wave,...but this time, its spreading faster and being contained more slowly compared to the first wave from February and March.
Playing a key role,...is WHERE the outbreaks are occurring.
The first wave was largely confined to the city of Daegu and the surrounding Gyeongsangbuk-do Province,...and with the majority of cases stemming from a single source - the Shincheonji religious group.
The second wave, however, is in the densely-populated Seoul Metropolitan Area.
"This is why experts have made desperate warnings to keep the capital area safe. It has more people, meaning more elderly. And it also connects to many other regions in the country."
The expert also pointed to the virus itself, which has mutated to become 10 times more infectious.
But what's key is not how strict the quarantine measures become,...but how they are relayed, and how well people follow them.
"Efforts should be focused on protecting the elderly who are most vulnerable,...like providing free testing even if they have no symptoms. In the meantime, young people should keep practicing personal hygiene, and the government should focus on giving specific guidelines in the briefings,...rather than just numbers."
With the second wave lingering for longer than expected, many experts suggest that the actual scale could be greater than it appears...with asymptomatic patients continuing to spread the virus silently.
To measure that would require testing the antibodies of a large group of people, which the government is planning to do in the coming month.
The related data for the June to July period will be released on Saturday.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.
South Korea was first hit by COVID-19 back in February,...when a large-scale cluster infection broke out in the southeastern city of Daegu and the surrounding area.
Six months have passed since and the country is battling another major resurgence, this time, centers on the densely-populated capital region which poses tougher challenges than the first.
Lee Kyung-eun explains further.
Experts say, a resurgence is inevitable while fighting against a pandemic unless total lockdowns are imposed...hence why many countries are experiencing such a trend, including Japan, and the U.S.
South Korea is also dealing with a second wave,...but this time, its spreading faster and being contained more slowly compared to the first wave from February and March.
Playing a key role,...is WHERE the outbreaks are occurring.
The first wave was largely confined to the city of Daegu and the surrounding Gyeongsangbuk-do Province,...and with the majority of cases stemming from a single source - the Shincheonji religious group.
The second wave, however, is in the densely-populated Seoul Metropolitan Area.
"This is why experts have made desperate warnings to keep the capital area safe. It has more people, meaning more elderly. And it also connects to many other regions in the country."
The expert also pointed to the virus itself, which has mutated to become 10 times more infectious.
But what's key is not how strict the quarantine measures become,...but how they are relayed, and how well people follow them.
"Efforts should be focused on protecting the elderly who are most vulnerable,...like providing free testing even if they have no symptoms. In the meantime, young people should keep practicing personal hygiene, and the government should focus on giving specific guidelines in the briefings,...rather than just numbers."
With the second wave lingering for longer than expected, many experts suggest that the actual scale could be greater than it appears...with asymptomatic patients continuing to spread the virus silently.
To measure that would require testing the antibodies of a large group of people, which the government is planning to do in the coming month.
The related data for the June to July period will be released on Saturday.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.
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