People expect that the Covid-19 vaccination would free them from mask-wearing, but the reality is far from such anticipation. Unless the vaccination rate goes up high enough to reach herd immunity, the authorities should maintain viral curbs, health officials said.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the global cases of Covid-19 are hitting new highs, increasing for the ninth consecutive weeks.

WHO statistics showed that new weekly Covid-19 cases posted 5.68 million from Sunday to Saturday last week, up from 5.3 million during the previous week. The pandemic is particularly hitting Southeast Asia hard, and daily cases in India are surpassing 300,000.

Last week, 86,609 people died of the Covid-19 infection, and 15,000 were from India.

Cases, deaths plunge in countries with over 40 percent vaccination rate

Countries with a high Covid-19 vaccination rate witnessed a substantial decrease in new cases and deaths.

Israel, ranking second in Covid-19 vaccination rate after Seychelles, saw daily cases plunge from about 1,000 in January to 110 on Monday. Daily deaths also declined from 50 in late January to fewer than 10 in April.

About 62.1 percent of the Israelites have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and 57.9 percent, the second dose.

The U.K. is also benefiting from the aggressive vaccine rollout. New daily cases used to exceed 70,000 in January but came down to around 1,000 in April. Almost half of the British population has been inoculated with the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and 17.8 percent, the second dose.

With the first-dose vaccination rate standing at 41.5 percent, the U.S. also saw a decrease in new Covid-19 cases from 270,000 in January to 40,000-50,000 in April. Daily deaths came down from 1,600-1,800 to 700-800 during the cited period.

However, the virus outbreak is still persistent in Germany and France, where vaccination rates remain below 30 percent.

In Germany, the first-dose vaccination rate is 22.6 percent, and the second-dose rate, 7 percent. New daily cases fell to 8,000 in February but rose to 20,000 in April. Daily deaths rather went up from over 100 to 200 during the cited period but recently slid back to fewer than 100.

The situation is similar in France, which records a similar vaccination rate with Germany. In early April, new cases went up to as many as 66,000 but declined to 22,849 on Monday. The decrease in deaths has been slight, and France still has 100-200 deaths per day.

Korea, where less than 5 percent of the population has received the first dose, is on the verge of having a fourth wave of the outbreak. On Tuesday, daily new cases increased by 512, and the total cases hit 119,898. Deaths rose by three to 1,820.

Israel eases quarantine but still mandates mask-wearing

Countries with high vaccination rates have relaxed quarantine rules. However, no country has allowed people to take off masks completely.

Israel lifted the mandatory outdoor mask-wearing on April 18. However, indoor masks and wearing masks in an indoor gathering are still obligatory in the country.

The U.K. relaxed lockdown measures, taken since Jan. 6, as of April 12. Non-essential shops and indoor sports facilities have resumed operations, but the British authorities still limit the number of gatherings to 30 for funerals and 15 for weddings.

Germany mandated working from home until June 30 due to an increase of Covid-19 cases, and Canada’s Ontario state extended the stay-at-home order until May 20.

“The number of new confirmed cases around the world has increased for nine consecutive weeks, renewing record highs since the Covid-19 outbreak,” KCDA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said. “In Korea, contact and moving between people increased with eased social distancing, and confirmed cases continue to go up. Recently, serious cases are on the rise, again.”

To overcome Covid-19, it is critical to wear masks and keep social distancing, along with speeding up the vaccination, she went on to say.

“Korea has sufficient capacity to suppress the outbreak and reach a herd immunity,” she said.