The quarantine authorities predicted Wednesday that it would be virtually difficult to put an end to Covid-19.
"Please recall that we have to live with the Covid-19 virus for a considerable period," said Park Hyang, head of the overall quarantine affairs at Central Disaster Management Headquarters. "The number of weekly infections has fallen for eight weeks, but the decline is slowing down, and the highly contagious sub-variants of Omicron are spreading globally."
The drop in the daily Covid-19 tally has recently reached a plateau. According to the quarantine authorities, the average daily Covid-19 tally has stood at 29,015 since May 12, with cases fluctuating between 10,000 and 30,000.
Quarantine authorities believe that transition to the next stage of the post-pandemic plan will not be easy due to Omicron subvariants, such as BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Tuesday, 11 of the 13 BA.2.12.1 cases came from overseas, and two were local infections. It was the first time health officials have confirmed a BA.2.12.1 case originating from Korea.
Due to the subvariants’ spread, daily confirmed cases also increased worldwide. According to Worldometer, an international statistical site, Germany recorded 82,591, the U.S., 75,368, and France, 43,727.
Officials also confirmed three new BA.4 and BA.5 cases, Omicron subvariants originating in South Africa. They estimate that BA.4 and BA.5 show a faster detection rate than the BA.2 subvariant.
"The government is examining the timing of transitioning into the next stage of its post-pandemic plan by comprehensively considering the recent epidemic situation, the possibility of a reinfection, the impact of new subvariants, and the preparation of the medical response system," Park said. "As Korea will have to live with the Covid-19 virus for some time, we urge people over 60 to receive booster vaccination because the risk of infection and the fatality rate is high among older adults."
Health authorities will decide whether to move on to the next stage of the post-pandemic plan on Friday. The plan includes lifting the seven-day mandatory quarantine requirement for confirmed Covid-19 patients.
On Wednesday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency confirmed 31,352 new virus cases, raising the cumulative caseload to 17,861,744
The death toll came to 23,802, up 31 from the previous day, with a fatality rate of 0.13 percent. However, critically ill patients came to 313, down 20 from a day earlier.
According to the agency, about 44.56 million people, or 86.8 percent of 52-million Koreans, have been fully vaccinated. In addition, about 33.23 million people had received their first booster shots, representing 64.8 percent, and 3.59 million people had their second booster shots.
Meanwhile, North Korea remains unresponsive to Seoul's proposal to help its fight against the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Ministry of Unification kept trying to deliver a related message to the North on Monday through the liaison office to hold the talks and offer medical support for Pyeongyang.
North Korea's silence follows President Yoon Suk-yeol's proposal to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea, now experiencing a crisis due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus.