|
(Yonhap) |
The novel coronavirus that has been spreading in recent outbreaks in South Korea has its origin in Europe and the US, health authorities said Wednesday, and is believed to be six times as infectious as the original strain that emerged from China.
The variant belongs to the GH clade, which has largely circulated in Europe and the US, according to an analysis by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on 129 genome samples diagnosed with COVID-19 from Aug. 10-20.
The variants found in the genome samples during the COVID-19 outbreak in spring belonged to the S clade and V clade, which were prevalent in China, where the coronavirus is believed to have originated from, and other parts of Asia.
The COVID-19 virus is largely classified into the S, V, L, G, GH and GR clades, according to the World Health Organization.
On Wednesday, Korea announced 320 new COVID-19 cases -- 307 locally transmitted and 13 imported from overseas -- with the total caseload rising to 18,265, according to the KCDC.
Wednesday’s tally, which counts cases up to midnight Tuesday, marks a jump from 280 new cases reported Tuesday and 266 Monday, after three previous days of surpassing 300 -- 397 on Sunday, 332 on Saturday and 324 on Friday.
Health authorities said Wednesday they have yet to raise the level of social distancing to the highest in the three-tier system, which is tantamount to a lockdown, adding they will closely monitor the virus situation this week before deciding on whether to further tighten social distancing rules.
Currently, level two social distancing rules are in place nationwide, under which 12 types of high-risk businesses should shut down and indoor gatherings of more than 50 people are banned, along with outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people, among other measures.
Residents in the Seoul metropolitan area moved around only 20 percent less over the weekend under the stricter social distancing guidelines in place, according to a government analysis based on data provided by cellphone carriers. The number of instances of residents remaining outside their own neighborhoods for more than 30 minutes were 26,762 from Aug. 22-23, compared to 33,484 from Aug. 15-16. When the largest outbreak here to date hit Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province in spring, people’s movements decreased by 40 percent.
Of Wednesday’s locally transmitted cases, the vast majority, or 229, were registered in the Seoul area -- 110 in Seoul, 27 in neighboring Incheon and 92 in surrounding Gyeonggi Province.
Outside the Seoul metropolitan area, new cases were reported in all administrative regions except for Sejong, North Chungcheong Province and North Gyeongsang Province. There were 18 cases in Gangwon Province, 12 cases each in South Chungcheong Province and South Jeolla Province, seven each in Gwangju, Daejeon and North Jeolla Province, five in South Gyeongsang Province, four in Busan and two each in Daegu, Ulsan and Jeju Island.
Sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks continue to occur across the country, with new clusters of infections found at cafes, restaurants, a public sauna, a hair salon, an apartment building, fitness centers, churches and more.
At the center of the resurgence of COVID-19 here are a Seoul-based church and a massive rally held in central Seoul on Aug. 15.
Eighteen more cases traced to the Seoul-based church were reported, with the total related cases coming to 933. The majority of the church-linked patients are from the Seoul metropolitan area and in their 50s or older. Some 130 cases of secondary transmission tied to the church were confirmed from 23 establishments, including schools, workplaces and hospitals, according to the KCDC.
In connection with the rally, 219 cases had been reported as of noon Wednesday, up 26 from the previous day.
Transmission routes for 18.6 percent of the new cases reported from Aug. 13-26 were unidentified, according to the KCDC. In Seoul alone, 35.7 percent of the new cases reported Wednesday had untraceable sources of infection.
The number of new infections per day has been in the triple digits since Aug. 14, when 103 new cases were reported.
Of the 13 imported cases, 10 were identified while the individuals were under mandatory self-quarantine in Korea, with the other three detected during the quarantine screening process at the border. Seven cases originated in Asia, with three each from the Americas and Africa. Six of the newly diagnosed people were foreign nationals.
So far, 14,368 people, or 78.66 percent, have been released from quarantine upon making full recoveries, up 82 from a day earlier. Some 3,585 people are receiving medical treatment under quarantine. Forty-three people remain in serious or critical condition.
Two more people died of the coronavirus, with the death toll now at 312. The overall fatality rate amounted to 1.71 percent -- 2 percent for men and 1.47 percent for women -- as of Wednesday. The fatality rate is 21.97 percent for those in their 80s or over and 7.2 percent for those in their 70s.
The country has carried out 1,849,506 tests since Jan. 3, with 52,795 people awaiting results as of Wednesday.
By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)