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Well being officers on Wednesday reported its highest every day bounce in coronavirus infections with 90,443 new instances.
South Korea will distribute free coronavirus speedy take a look at kits at elementary faculties and nursing properties beginning subsequent week because it weathers an unprecedented wave of infections pushed by the fast-moving omicron variant. Well being officers on Wednesday reported its highest every day bounce in coronavirus infections with 90,443 new instances, shattering the earlier one-day file set on Tuesday by greater than 33,000 instances. Some specialists say the nation might see every day instances of round 200,000 in March.
Whereas omicron has to this point appeared much less prone to trigger critical sickness or dying in comparison with the delta variant, which rattled the nation in December and early January, hospitalizations have been creeping up amid the better scale of outbreak.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Seoul’s No. 2 official behind President Moon Jae-in, stated officers will begin distributing free speedy take a look at kits at kindergartens, elementary faculties and nursing properties subsequent week to strengthen safety for unvaccinated youngsters and high-risk teams.
Schooling Minister Yoo Eun-hye stated faculties will probably be getting sufficient kits for college students to make use of twice per week, however added that such checks received’t be obligatory. “We ask for college students to be examined at house with the speedy antigen take a look at kits on the evenings of Sunday and Wednesday earlier than coming to highschool” Yoo stated throughout a briefing. “When testing optimistic from these checks, please go to the native well being workplace to get PCR (lab) checks.”
The fast-developing omicron surge has left officers debating whether or not the nation ought to preserve strict social distancing guidelines, together with a six-person restrict on non-public social gatherings and a 9 p.m. curfew for eating places. Struggling enterprise homeowners have referred to as for the measures to be eliminated, questioning whether or not they’re significant when instances are rising quickly.
However well being specialists warn that easing social distancing could enable transmissions to veer additional uncontrolled, which might additional stretch worn-out well being and authorities employees and threaten high-risk teams and kids youthful than 12 who’ve but to be vaccinated.
The nation has already eased quarantine restrictions considerably beginning this month to forestall main disruptions at workplaces and important companies, which can happen if large numbers of individuals are continuously positioned beneath quarantine. Kim stated officers will contemplate each the pandemic’s rising financial pressure and threats posed by the omicron surge earlier than saying new social distancing measures on Friday.
Whereas omicron extra simply infects those that have been vaccinated or had COVID-19 beforehand, specialists say vaccination and booster pictures nonetheless present robust safety from critical sickness and dying. Greater than 86% of South Koreans have been totally vaccinated and 58% have acquired booster pictures. Well being officers plan to supply fourth vaccination pictures at nursing properties and different long-term care settings beginning later this month.
The nation additionally began providing Novavax’s coronavirus vaccine at hospitals and public well being workplaces this week, including one other device in a mass immunization marketing campaign that has primarily trusted Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines.
Officers hope that the Maryland firm’s protein vaccine, which has similarities to pictures used for years towards the widespread flu or hepatitis B, would enchantment to individuals who have been hesitant to make use of different vaccines based mostly on newer applied sciences.
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