Gwangju and Jeollanam-do are already dominated by Omicron, and spread across the country.

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The detection rate of Omicron in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do has exceeded 70%, and it has already become the dominant species.

Gyeongbuk and Gangwon provinces also exceeded 30%, and omicron mutations are rapidly spreading from non-metropolitan areas.

The total number of coronavirus cases is gradually increasing.

Reporter Park Yoon-soo compiled it.

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A nursing facility in Muan, South Jeolla Province, where a cluster infection occurred.

Thirteen people, including residents and workers, were confirmed, and one resident was confirmed to have an Omicron mutation, and it is estimated that all of the confirmed patients were infected with Omicron.

The detection rate of Omicron in Jeollanam-do soared to 72% and to 80% in Gwangju.

The detection rate in the Honam region, including the Jeonbuk region, was 59%, and Omicron overtook Delta and became the dominant species.

[강영구/전라남도 보건복지국장]

“It feels faster than Delta. Delta spread in almost two months, but Omicron spread almost in 40 days…”

As a result, the average daily number of confirmed cases in the Honam region last week increased by more than 60% in one month to 374.

Omicron detection rates in other non-metropolitan areas such as Gyeongbuk 37.1% and Gangwon 31.4% are also increasing rapidly.

The detection rate of Omicron in the metropolitan area is 19.6%, which is lower than in the non-metropolitan area.

However, its share is increasing, with 89% of confirmed cases in the community centered on the US base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, as infected with Omicron.

[경기 평택시 보건소 관계자]

“The number of patients in the shopping district near (USFK base) or among the Koreans working in the unit has increased dramatically after the Christmas season…”

The government expects that Omicron will become the dominant species with a detection rate exceeding 50% nationwide by this weekend.

With the spread of Omicron, the total number of confirmed cases, which had been on a downward trend, is changing to an increasing trend.

In particular, it is expected that the spread of the virus will be further accelerated by the increase in travel volume during the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts next weekend.

The government said that 70-80% of the preventive effect against Omicron can be expected if the third dose is received, and it has urged to slow the spread of Omicron as much as possible through vaccination and participation in social distancing.

This is Park Yoon-soo from MBC News.

Video coverage: Jeong Sang-cheol (Mokpo) / Video editing: Kim Jong-un

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