Professor Eom Joong Sik, an infectious disease expert and professor of infectious diseases at Gachon University School of Medicine, recently expressed concern about the resurgence of COVID-19 and urged the public to pay particular attention to personal hygiene, including wearing masks.
In an appearance on CBS Radio’s Kim Hyun Jung’s News Show yesterday, Eom predicted, “COVID-19 is resurging to the extent that one in four people with a cold is a COVID-19 patient. It is expected to peak at the end of August.”
Drawing on data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Eom noted that the number of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 has jumped from 90-100 at the end of June and early July to over 450 currently. He anticipates this number could reach between 500 and 600 in the coming weeks.
Eom highlighted the dramatic increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate among respiratory patients—from about 7% four weeks ago to over 25% now. He predicts the number of critical patients will likely rise following the peak in late August.
With summer conditions mixing air-conditioning-related illnesses and common colds, Eom advised people experiencing symptoms to seek a hospital diagnosis to avoid confusion with COVID-19. He explained that while air-conditioning illness rarely causes fever and common colds usually resolve within 48 to 72 hours, COVID-19 symptoms like high fever, sore throat, cough, and runny nose can persist and worsen, especially in older adults or those with underlying health conditions.
Eom also touched on the difficulty of distinguishing between influenza and COVID-19 outside of flu season, suggesting that severe cold symptoms might indicate COVID-19.
He expressed particular concern about the Omicron subvariant KP3, known for its strong immune evasion capabilities, which is currently driving the surge. Eom explained that COVID-19 immunity tends to wane after three to four months, and introducing new, immune-evasive virus variants has contributed to the resurgence.
Eom concluded by recommending that the elderly, immunocompromised individuals and those with chronic illnesses wear masks in crowded places or on public transportation to help reduce the scale of the outbreak.
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