“Omicron dominance begins” … 6,000 new confirmed cases

◀ anchor ▶

As the number of new confirmed cases, which had been on the decline, is on the rise again, the number of confirmed cases today is expected to be around 6,000.

The government saw that it was the effect that Omicron has begun to establish itself as a dominant species, and started to change the quarantine system.

This is Reporter Lee Jun-beom.

◀ Report ▶

As of 9 p.m. last night, there were 5,249 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the country.

Compared to the same time the day before, there were 403 more people and 1,764 more than the same time a week ago.

Accordingly, the official figure released this morning, including the additional confirmed cases by midnight, is likely to reach 6,000.

It seems that the diffusion of omicron mutations is reflected in earnest.

In Gwangju, where Omicron has already become the dominant species, 359 people were confirmed by 9 p.m., surpassing the number of daily confirmed cases of 218 the day before, recording 300 for the first time.

The government said that the dominance of Omicron has begun, and it is expected that there will be 7,000 confirmed cases around tomorrow.

[손영래 / 중앙사고수습본부 사회전략반장]

“During this three-week period of distance, including the Lunar New Year holiday, Omicron will replace Delta by 8-90%, and an increase in the number of confirmed cases is inevitable.”

The government, which announced that it would enter the Omicron response stage when the number of confirmed cases exceeds 7,000, has begun preparations in advance.

The guidelines have been changed to make the principle of home treatment rather than living treatment centers for those diagnosed with Omicron mutation, unless they are in a high-risk group.

[손영래 / 중앙사고수습본부 사회전략반장]

“(Once the response phase begins), rather than strengthening social distancing measures, we will focus on blocking the infection of high-risk groups or high-risk groups with a high fatality rate.”

When the response phase begins, asymptomatic individuals under the age of 65 receive priority antigen testing rather than PCR testing, and local hospitals also participate in treatment.

The self-quarantine period for home treatment will also be shortened from 10 days to 7 days.

The government is expected to announce a detailed action plan for the response phase this week.

This is Lee Jun-beom from MBC News.

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