China News Agency, Seoul, March 17 (Liu Xu and Liu Jingni) According to the local time of the South Korean Central Epidemic Prevention and Countermeasure Headquarters on the 17th, as of 0:00 on the same day, South Korea added 621,328 new confirmed cases of new crown than the previous day. The number of new cases increased by 220,617 the day before yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 8,250,592.
Data map: Staff at Incheon International Airport in South Korea strictly implement epidemic prevention measures. Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Xu
Sun Young-rae, head of the social strategy team of the Central Emergency Response Headquarters in South Korea, said that the surge in the number of confirmed cases in a single day is because the government has begun to include patients with positive rapid antigen test results in the number of confirmed cases. There is an error link with the previous day’s statistics. However, South Korean public opinion still has doubts about the further spread of the epidemic caused by the government’s release of a signal to relax epidemic prevention measures. It is reported that the South Korean government is currently discussing how to adjust the current social distancing plan that will expire next week.
In addition, some medical experts and the public have refuted the government’s repeated public remarks that “for those who have completed the three-injection vaccination, the fatality rate of the Omicron variant strain is similar to that of seasonal influenza.” , and pointed out that due to the obvious differences between Omicron and influenza in the scale of infection, the number of confirmed cases, the number of deaths, confirmed symptoms and sequelae, it should not be compared with seasonal influenza.
According to the Chosun Ilbo, some people diagnosed with the Omicron variant strain said that they were “much more uncomfortable than the common cold when they had symptoms.” Long-term hunger, drowsiness, diarrhea, fat may also occur after the nucleic acid test turns negative. Sequelae such as overflowing scalp inflammation. In this regard, Jang Young-wook, an associate researcher at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, said that the government should not only compare the new crown epidemic with the common flu in terms of mortality, but should also take into account the scope of the virus’ spread and the impact on the medical system from a global perspective. burden, etc. (End)