The number of hospitalized patients with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has increased for six consecutive weeks.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 16th, in the 32nd week of this year (from Aug. 3 to 9), the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to 221 sample medical institutions nationwide was counted at 272, an increase of 23.6% from 220 patients the previous week. The number has been on the rise for six consecutive weeks.
The continued increase in COVID-19 patients is attributed to the population movement and contact during the summer vacation season, along with crowds gathering indoors as air conditioners are turned on due to the heat. However, compared to last summer, the scale of the outbreak is still much smaller. The number of hospitalized patients in the 32nd week last year reached 1,362.
Six out of ten hospitalized patients are aged 65 and older. Among the total of 3,526 hospitalized patients up to the 31st week, 60%, or 2,114 patients, were aged 65 and older, while 18.3% (647 patients) were aged 50 to 64, and 9.6% (340 patients) were aged 19 to 49.
The detection rate of the COVID-19 virus is also on the rise. The proportion of specimens from patients suspected of respiratory infections testing positive for the COVID-19 virus increased from 22.5% in the 31st week to 32% in the 32nd week. Among variant viruses, the prevalence of NB.1.8.1 was the highest at 87.1%, while XFG and JN.1 showed lower prevalence.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency plans to administer the LP.8.1 vaccine, which has a higher neutralizing antibody response to the circulating variants than the existing JN.1 vaccine, for the 2025-2026 seasonal vaccinations in October. The agency anticipates an ongoing increase in COVID-19 patients for more than two weeks and has urged special caution for high-risk groups, including the elderly and immunocompromised individuals.