Summer Wave of COVID-19: Expert Analysis

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코로나19 재유행 '비상'

Hello and welcome to Within the frame. I'm Han Da-eun in Seoul.
Coronavirus cases are surging again across Korea, just about a year after the country officially declared COVID-19 an endemic.
Amid signs of a large spread, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has boosted response measures, also gearing up to resume vaccination programs. Self-diagnosis kits are flying off the shelves, while COVID related prescriptions soared by more than 30-fold in recent weeks.
And the summer COVID wave is being felt globally, hitting over 80 countries around the world.
Why are we seeing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, and how stringent should quarantine measures be this time?
When might we expect the peak of the outbreak?
For some expert insights, Dr. Kim Seung-taek, Virologist at Institut Pasteur Korea joins us in the studio.
And joining us virtually is Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, Professor of Medicine & Infectious Disease Specialist at University of California, San Francisco.

(KIM) Q1. COVID-19 is back on the rise about a year after South Korea declared it an endemic. First, give us an update on the current situation here in the country.

(CHIN-HONG) Q2. Is the U.S. also seeing a large summer COVID wave? What do the latest figures indicate?

(KIM) Q3. Most respiratory diseases, including COVID-19, typically circulate during the winter. What are some factors that led to the summer COVID wave we’re seeing around many parts of the world?

(CHIN-HONG) Q4. Omicron subvariants were the dominant strains before we bid farewell to the pandemic last year. What type of new variant is driving the summer wave of infections, and what do we need to know about it?

(KIM) Q5. Korean health authorities plan to resume free COVID-19 immunizations for the elderly and other high-risk groups in October. While some are calling for an early start to the program due to the current spread of COVID, what’s your take?

(KIM) Q6. There’s a time lag between COVID vaccination and the circulating virus. The October vaccination program will offer updated shots targeting JN.1, the predecessor of KP.3. Will these shots be effective against KP.3, and do you still recommend people get vaccinated even if they’ve developed natural antibodies during the pandemic?

(CHIN-HONG) Q7. The U.S. National Institutes of Health has launched long COVID clinical trials through what’s called a ‘RECOVER’ Initiative to research causes and treatments for people with long COVID. What are the symptoms of long COVID, and what has the RECOVER program discovered so far?

(KIM) Q8. Korean health authorities say cases will likely peak by the end of this month, and they don’t plan on raising the national crisis level of COVID-19. What’s your outlook ahead?

(CHIN-HONG) Q9. There’s quite a bit of confusion about isolation measures for people with COVID-19 here in Korea with many unsure whether they can continue their daily routines after contracting the virus. To this, health authorities said that since COVID-19 has been downgraded to a level 4 infectious disease, similar to the flu, patients can carry on with their routines, but recommended people to wear masks indoors. Would this be enough? What’s your advice?

And that brings us to the end of this show.
Thank you for watching, and be sure to tune in same time tomorrow to join our conversation.
Good bye for now.

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2024-08-19, 18:30 (KST)