Covid Situation in South Korea

South Korea, one of the few countries that succeeded in controlling the Covid-19 cases, is now facing some difficulties. On July 13, the daily infections had risen to 1440 cases, South Korea’s highest daily cases this year. There had been more than 1000 cases daily for eight days straight.

This is mainly because of the new variant of Covid-19, the Delta Variant. The Delta Variant has similar symptoms as the original Covid-19, including a persistent cough, fever, sore throat, and a headache. However, the Delta variant spreads faster than the original variant. For example, just in a few months, the Delta variant is now responsible for over 75 percent of the new infections. In the United States, it only took a few months for this variant from being nonexistent to now playing a majority role in the new Covid-19 cases.

Also, the slow rate of vaccination is a concern. According to the South Korean government’s data, only about 11.6% of the country's 52 million population has completed vaccination, including receiving both shots for products requiring two doses, while 30.4% have received one dose. The government apologized for the early closure of the vaccines and for not releasing the exact timeline. However, their goal is to receive at least another 9 million doses this month.

Therefore, with Covid cases hitting the highest record every day, the South Korean government decided to impose the toughest level 4 of social distancing in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon. Under the level 4 rules, gatherings of more than two people will not be allowed after 6 pm. Events like weddings and funerals can only be joined by family relatives. Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to have dine-in customers until 10 pm but entertainment establishments such as nightclubs will be banned. Hopefully, after two weeks of level 4 social distancing, cases of Covid will decrease rapidly.