Concerns mounting over surge in COVID-19 variants

Concerns are mounting over a recent surge in cases of COVID-19 variants. This surge poses a risk that possibly more transmissible mutated viruses may become the dominant strains in some regions.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country reported 97 more cases involving new variants as of Tuesday, bringing the total caseload to 632 since the country confirmed its first mutated virus cases from Britain last December. Among the new infections were 75 local transmissions and 22 cases from overseas.

Of the total 632 cases, the vast majority, 551, were of the British variant, 71 cases were of the South African variant, and another 10 were of the Brazilian variant.

In addition, the health authorities believe that another 867 infections are epidemiologically linked to the new virus strains, although they have not been screened through genome sequencing, meaning that at least 1,499 infections are estimated to involve the variants.

By regions, the rapid increase in cases of the British variant in the southern city of Ulsan has put health authorities on high alert. The variant from the United Kingdom is known to be up to 70 percent more contagious than the original.

In the last six weeks, the detection rate of the variant in the city reached 68 percent. An analysis showed that 51 out of 80 positive cases were of the variant. The figure is significantly higher than the nationwide average of 15 percent.

“It is worrisome that cases of the new variant in Ulsan have made a significant impact on the overall virus spread in the area,” Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol said at a meeting on coronavirus response measures, Wednesday.

“We are putting all of our efforts into preventing the spread of mutant viruses, by expanding the scope of genetic sequence tests on confirmed patients who may have been exposed to the new variant.”

The Ulsan Metropolitan Government, for its part, is responding with toughened quarantine measures and aggressive preemptive testing. It raised its social distancing scheme to Level 2 starting on Monday, and has limited the operating hours of eateries and cafes until 9 p.m., an hour earlier than the initial 10 p.m. closing time.

The city is also striving to identify asymptomatic patients. It has issued an administrative order requiring workers at high-risk businesses such as call centers, door-to-door sales companies, and nighttime entertainment venues, to get tested for the virus.

It has also scaled up its daily testing capacity by threefold, and city officials are conducting inspections on around 100 businesses to ensure that anti-infection measures are being carried out properly.

Meanwhile, the government’s earlier decision to exempt fully vaccinated people from the mandatory two-week self-isolation rule came into effect on Wednesday.

Until now, all arrivals from overseas and those who have come in close contact with infected patients were put under 14 days of self-quarantine. But the government has decided to exempt people who have been fully vaccinated in Korea, regardless of their nationality.