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S. Korea's weekly virus cases rise for 5th consecutive week
15:27 July 31, 2023
SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases increased for the fifth consecutive week last week, health authorities said Monday, amid rising concerns over a possible new wave after all antivirus curbs were lifted earlier this year.
The country reported a daily average of 45,529 new infections for the week of July 25-31, bringing the total caseload to 33,201,796, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
Out of the seven days, daily infections jumped to over 50,000 from Tuesday to Thursday, surpassing the threshold for the first time in about six months.
The country reported an average of 13 COVID-19 deaths per day for the one-week period, raising the death toll to 35,313. On Thursday, 23 deaths were reported.
Experts said the recent resurgence of the virus seems to be tied to the gradual wearing off of the COVID-19 vaccination immunity and the appearance of variants that are immune evasive.
"XBB 1.5, which is the dominant COVID-19 strain at the moment, has a higher ability to evade immunity," said Kim Woo-joo, a professor and infectious disease expert at Korea University in Seoul.
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https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20230731005100320?section=coronavirus/news
15:27 July 31, 2023
SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases increased for the fifth consecutive week last week, health authorities said Monday, amid rising concerns over a possible new wave after all antivirus curbs were lifted earlier this year.
The country reported a daily average of 45,529 new infections for the week of July 25-31, bringing the total caseload to 33,201,796, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
Out of the seven days, daily infections jumped to over 50,000 from Tuesday to Thursday, surpassing the threshold for the first time in about six months.
The country reported an average of 13 COVID-19 deaths per day for the one-week period, raising the death toll to 35,313. On Thursday, 23 deaths were reported.
Experts said the recent resurgence of the virus seems to be tied to the gradual wearing off of the COVID-19 vaccination immunity and the appearance of variants that are immune evasive.
"XBB 1.5, which is the dominant COVID-19 strain at the moment, has a higher ability to evade immunity," said Kim Woo-joo, a professor and infectious disease expert at Korea University in Seoul.
...
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20230731005100320?section=coronavirus/news