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Nightline on January 27th begins with the news that the number of new confirmed cases has exceeded 10,000 for two consecutive days in two years since the outbreak of Corona in Korea. Today, the number is expected to be around 15,000, and the government has decided to accelerate the medical response system tailored to Omicron. It is enforced nationwide from the next day and Saturday.



Correspondent Park Jae-hyun.



<Reporter> This



is a temporary screening center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.



There is a continuous line of people trying to get tested for COVID-19.



[Soi Lim / Gangseo-gu, Seoul: I did not feel it well. Today, the confirmed person and the route overlapped, so I had to do the test. There are a lot of (confirmed cases) coming out from close acquaintances or from my mother's company.]



13,12 new confirmed cases, an increase of 4,400 in one day, more than double the number a week ago.



The spread of Omicron is faster than expected, but since it is only the beginning, the quarantine authorities are deeply concerned.



According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's short-term forecast, assuming that the transmission rate of omicron mutation is three times that of delta, there could be up to 36,800 confirmed cases per day in the middle of next month, and up to 122,200 by the end of next month. there is.



[Kim Bu-gyeom/Prime Minister: From now on, the top priority of quarantine is to reduce the number of severe cases and deaths (rather than reducing the number of confirmed cases).]



The government is moving forward the timing of the Omicron response system after the Lunar New Year holiday.



The new testing and treatment system, which started in Gwangju and Jeonnam, and Pyeongtaek and Anseong in Gyeonggi Province, will be expanded nationwide from the 29th.



At 256 screening clinics across the country, rapid antigen testing is performed first instead of PCR testing for asymptomatic and mild patients under the age of 50.



From the 3rd of next month, these measures will be expanded to 431 respiratory clinics nationwide and local hospitals and clinics designated by the government.



The local hospitals and clinics are in charge of not only testing for corona, but also treating and managing at-home healers.



On the 30th, Pfizer's edible drug 'Paxrovid' will add 11,000 additional doses to the 21,000 already introduced.