South Korean Health Authorities Says New COVID-19 Wave Could Peak in End-August

An ongoing wave of COVID-19 is forecast to reach a peak around the end of August after the summer vacation season, the South Korean health authorities said Tuesday, vowing to strengthen responses to curb its spread. "The uptrend could peak around the end of August, as contacts among people will grow after the summer vacation and such changes could affect the infection trend," Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) official Hong Jeong-il said, reported YONHAP. "Not enough ventilation with air conditioning in the summertime is also a major cause of the summer surge," he added. In an effort to curb the spread, the KDCA has decided to expand the virus response team to enhance monitoring of the situation at home and abroad, analysis of infections, and the management of treatment and other medical supplies. The government will also set up a consultative body with experts to regularly discuss trends and anti-virus measures. Their first meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday. South Korea also p lans to resume its vaccination campaign in October, where high-risk groups will be administered vaccines for free. The country has seen a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, with virus hospitalizations at 220 major medical institutions nationwide rising sixfold in a month to come to 861 as of the first week of August, according to KDCA. The current wave is primarily led by KP.3, an Omicron subvariant that constituted 45.5 percent of cases in South Korea last month and is also driving the summer wave elsewhere around the world. Source: Qatar News Agency