Despite being one of the first countries to be affected by the virus, South Korea has managed to avoid the kind of stringent lockdown measures elsewhere in the world, thanks in large part to a combination of aggressive testing and advanced track & trace techniques .
But as the pandemic continues into winter, the emergence of a so-called “third wave” has resulted in a seemingly untraceable rise in new infections.
On Wednesday, senior health ministry official, Yoon Tae-ho, urged people to participate fully in social distance measures in the Seoul metropolitan area, which accounts for about half of the country’s 51 million residents. Those restrictions are currently at level 2.5 on the country scale, with level 3 de facto being a lockdown.
Yoon said officials are currently consulting with experts, local governments and the antivirus working committee on whether or not to increase the restrictions to level 3.
Such a move would likely represent “a major social change,” Yoon warned, and could harm small businesses and the self-employed.
On Tuesday, South Korea reported 1,078 new cases, the highest daily number since the start of the pandemic, bringing the national total to 45,442. Some 226 patients are in critical condition, while an additional 12 were killed on Tuesday, increasing the total number of fatalities to 612.
On Wednesday, Seoul’s acting mayor Seo Jung-hyup warned that the capital was facing a critical shortage of hospital space as 77 of the city’s 78 ICU beds are occupied by coronavirus patients.
While these numbers pale in comparison to those in much of Europe or the United States, the latest peak shows the additional problems caused by freezing temperatures in winter – driving people indoors, where infection is easier – and increasing fatigue due to limitations and precautions.
According to a census from Johns Hopkins University, cases in South Korea have been steadily increasing since mid-November and the country has gradually introduced more restrictions and rules of social distance in response.
“The church held meetings in a confined space four times a week for seven weeks, which means that the chances of droplets spreading among the participants were very high,” Park Yoo-mi, a local health officer, told KBS. “We are further investigating the matter.”
Winter has long been expected to spike in cases across much of the Northern Hemisphere, but especially in countries where temperatures are lowest: better ventilation, which can help prevent infections, is much more difficult when the average daytime temperatures are below -5C (23F) like this week in Seoul.
On Tuesday, Jung Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, “The third wave is different from the previous two. It is the most critical point since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
In neighboring – and equally cold – Japan, restrictions have also been stepped up in response to a new wave of business.
On Tuesday, a further 2,410 new cases and 45 deaths were recorded across Japan, bringing the respective total to 184,754 cases and 2,701 deaths. The number of patients in intensive care is at the highest level year-round, health officials warned.
“Please don’t get used to the coronavirus,” Toshio Nakagawa, president of the Japan Medical Association, said at a briefing last month, as cases started to rise. “Don’t underestimate the coronavirus.”
Jake Kwon and Gawon Bae reported from Seoul, South Korea. James Griffiths reported from Hong Kong.