The government “wreaths will continue for the next two weeks … approaching the infectious reproduction rate of 1”

Check-in 2021.01.02 12:04 | Revision 2021.01.02 12:06

The government emphasized that it is now the ‘last hurdle’ that can stop the third pandemic and change the direction of the spread. Given that corona vaccination starts as early as February, the government’s position is that the increase in patients, showing a stagnant pattern of around 1,000 people per day, should be reliably turned into a decrease.

In a briefing on the 2nd, Deok-cheol Kwon, First Deputy Chief of the Central Headquarters for Disaster Countermeasures and Security (Minister of Health and Welfare), explained the measures to extend the stage of ‘social distancing’ in a briefing on day 2. He said.

Deputy General Kwon diagnosed that the effects of the following special quarantine measures and measures during the end of the year and the New Year are gradually appearing. In fact, the amount of mobile phone traffic on weekends in the metropolitan area decreased to 24.43 million and 23.6 million from 24.49 million from 12 to 13 last month, showing the lowest level since the outbreak. of coronavirus. This is less than the lowest level of 24.5 million cases at the time of the epidemic in Daegu and Gyeongbuk.

Deputy CEO Kwon said, “The patient growth rate, which has been growing, is slowing and the number of new corona19 confirmed patients across the country over the past two weeks has stalled,” he said. “The rate of reproduction of the infection is also close to 1”.

The infection reproduction rate is an indicator of the spreading power of how many people infect around a confirmed person. If this number exceeds 1, the propagation trend continues, and if it falls below 1, the appearance of confirmed cases is suppressed.

He predicted: “A very important turning point is imminent, whether the trend in patient incidence increases again in the future, or if it reverses and goes into decline,” he predicted. “The situation in the New Year will change depending on the direction it takes.”

Deputy Director General Kwon emphasized that in the current situation, there are many risk factors that make quarantine of the crown difficult, so more attention should be paid. He said: “We have to endure a couple more months during winter when the virus is active in season. Also, mutant viruses with high transmission power are emerging in foreign countries, and if the outbreak grows, the medical and quarantine systems will be hard to bear. “

However, he referred to this year as ‘the year vaccines and treatments will be available’, revealing expectations that the crown could be brought under control. He said: “We have secured 56 million vaccines and the vaccines will start in February. Antibody treatments will also be available at the same time,” he said, adding that January this year is the ‘last gobi’.

He added: “If the corona epidemic goes from a stagnant situation to a decline and can pass this month, we will be able to control the situation in a stable way until the moment when vaccines and treatments are used.”

Regarding the quarantine measures to be taken from the new year, Kwon said: “I am very sorry that I will be asking for a difficult and difficult request from the beginning of the new year.” Be”.