The government has decided not to implement strict distancing rules, although new virus cases herald the advent of another Covid-19 wave.
Instead, it will expand the targets of second booster shots to people in their 50s and those aged 18 and older with underlying conditions, quarantine officials said Wednesday.
The nation added 40,266 Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, bringing the total caseload to 18,602,109, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Cases on Wednesday have more than doubled from 19,362 cases logged a week earlier, maintaining the “weekly doubling phenomenon.”
Despite the continued surge in cases, health officials said they would not reinstate a tight social distancing scheme. The government implemented a strict distancing system, including the night business curfew for service providers and bans on gatherings, eating indoors in addition to compulsory outdoor masks during previous viral outbreaks.
Explaining the background for their decision, officials pointed out that the fatality rate, which reached 2.1 percent in August 2020, dropped to 0.07 percent in May, the sharply improved availability of vaccines and treatments, and sufficient medical response capabilities.
They also pointed to the ill effects of reinstatement of distancing rules, such as backlash from the public suffering from “quarantine fatigue.”
"The government considered the balance of social and economic costs and benefits of social distancing in deciding not to strengthen distancing rules," the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) said.
Instead, the CDCH emphasized voluntary distancing rules.
"Rather than a mandatory measure, we believe it is time for a transition to the public-led quarantine system," the CDCH said.
Suppose there is a significant change in the epidemic situation, such as an increase in the fatality rate. In that case, the headquarters will implement selective and partial distancing, such as limiting visits and minimizing operations at facilities vulnerable to infection, such as nursing hospitals and facilities, it added.
The headquarters also decided to maintain the seven-day quarantine for confirmed patients for the time being while strengthening the inspection and management of inbound travelers. Quarantine officials will force them to receive the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within three days of entry and advise them to stay home until they confirm the PCR results.
Considering the rapid spread of the new Omicron subvariant, the government will expand eligibility for second booster shots to all people 50 and older and those 18 and older with underlying health conditions.
"With the spread of BA.5 mutations, the resurgence has started faster than originally expected," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said while presiding over a daily Covid-19 meeting. "With the government broadening the group eligible for a second booster vaccination, we strongly advise eligible people to receive the vaccination as it can decrease the risk of infection and severe illness for Covid-19."
President Yoon Suk-yeol also appealed to the public to actively participate in receiving the second booster. President Yoon received the second booster vaccination on Wednesday.
“I am well aware that people can still get infected in a breakthrough case even after vaccination,” Yoon was quoted as saying by his spokesperson Kang In-sun. “However, experts agree that it can significantly lower the risk of serious illness or death.”
The president also promised to do everything to secure a sufficient treatment supply against Covid-19.
Despite the government’s pleas, experts expressed concerns about the low level of participation regarding the second booster shot.
As of Wednesday, only 31.8 percent of those aged 60 or older have received their second booster shots.
Health experts are also torn between the benefits of expanding the eligibility for the second booster vaccine shot to people aged 50 and older.
Those in favor stress that considering many people over 50 with underlying diseases, it is optimal to include them in the second booster shot group.
“As there is currently no alternative, it is beneficial to include those in their 50s who are semi-high-risk group as the target for the second booster shot,” Professor Eom Joong-sik, an infectious disease expert at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said to Dong-A Ilbo, a vernacular newspaper.
In contrast, those who oppose the expanded eligibility of the second booster shot stress that the additional vaccination will have little efficacy.
“The fatality rate of Covid-19 in their 50s is 0.04 percent, which is lower than that of the flu,” Professor Paik Soon-young of the Department of Microbiology at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital said. “Therefore, it is not right to vaccinate the age group.”
As of Wednesday, 44.63 million, or 87 percent of the population, had completed the full two-dose vaccinations, and 33.39 million, or 65.1 percent, had received their first booster shots.
About 4.56 million people, or 8.7 percent of the population, had gotten their second booster shots, according to the KDCA.