'Quarter of COVID-19 patients are teenagers'

Students at a high school in Gwangju wait in long lines to undergo COVID-19 testing at the school's playground, Tuesday, following the confirmation of a virus infection there. Yonhap

Virus infections to continue to surge amid eased distancing rules

By Jun Ji-hye

The health and education authorities are on high alert following a surge in COVID-19 infections among teenagers. The spike comes as the education ministry plans to resume in-person classes later this month in line with the government's "Living with COVID-19" plan.

The authorities expect new daily infection numbers to increase for the time being, following the Halloween weekend that drew huge crowds to bars and clubs, and the government's phased return to normal that considerably eased social distancing restrictions from Monday.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Wednesday, the country added 2,667 new infections Tuesday, a sharp increase from 1,589 reported the previous day. It is also the fourth-largest number since the country reported its first COVID-19 case in January last year.

"Tuesday's tally increased by more than 1,000 cases from a day earlier," Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-cheol said at a government meeting on COVID-19 responses. "Among the latest cases, teenagers accounted for more than 24 percent."

The minister raised concerns that the ratio of teenage patients would continue to increase, as their vaccination rates are still low compared to the total. Teenagers began receiving vaccine shots last month.

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In addition, infection clusters have continued to be reported in educational facilities such as schools and private cram institutes.

According to the KDCA, 75.7 percent of the population here had been fully vaccinated as of Tuesday.

In contrast, the vaccination rate for those aged between 16 and 17, who began receiving injections Oct. 18, stood at 46.7 percent, while the vaccination reservation rate for those aged between 12 and 15 has been tallied at 27 percent.

"The vaccination rates for teenagers have been very low, thus their antibodies have yet to be sufficiently formed, meaning that the number of teenage patients will continue to increase during the course of our policy shift," Sohn Young-rae, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said in a media briefing.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-cheol speaks during a government meeting on COVID-19 responses at the Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Worries are especially rising because in-person classes at kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools will resume nationwide Nov. 22, after this year's state-run university entrance exam ― the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) ― takes place Nov. 18.

The authorities said they will redouble efforts to protect students by sending more quarantine staff to large schools and expanding PCR tests at schools located in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The authorities also encouraged parents to get their children to participate more actively in the country's vaccination program, saying the advantages of vaccination outweigh the risks from being infected. Vaccinations for children and teens require the consent of their parents.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stressed that the government's decision to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions does not mean that the country has overcome the public health crisis and called on people not to let their guard down.

"So far, the nation's medical capabilities are okay, but we will have no choice but to send a warning when 60 percent of intensive care unit beds for coronavirus patients are occupied, and to suspend the Living with COVID-19 plan when the occupation level reaches 75 percent," Kim said during a radio appearance.

The authorities added that eight government organizations, including the education and safety ministries and the National Police Agency, will jointly carry out special crackdowns on facilities with high risks of COVID-19 infections, such as entertainment establishments, restaurants, cafes and nursing homes to make sure people there are complying with antivirus measures.

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