<Anchor> As the



gradual recovery of daily life begins in earnest, the quarantine authorities are expecting the number of corona patients to increase. Today (2nd), it seems that there will be around 1,600 people, and the quarantine authorities predict that it will increase to about 2 or 3 times the current number. The quarantine authorities believe that our medical system can manage up to 5,000 people, but to maintain this level, basic quarantine rules such as wearing a mask must be followed.



Correspondent Jang Se-man.



<Reporter> At



a medical institution in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, where the group infection occurred, 7 workers and 3 residents were additionally infected, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 176.



At a nursing hospital in Daegu, two elderly people in their 80s who were confirmed to have died, both of whom were not vaccinated and their symptoms worsened after being infected.



Yesterday, the total number of infected people fell to the 1,600 level as the number of weekend tests decreased.



However, the weekly average daily number of confirmed cases in Korea, which had been on a downward trend for the past four weeks, turned to an increase from last week.



In addition, the infection reproduction index, which indicates how many people a patient infects nearby people, also changed to an increasing trend, exceeding the reference point of 1 in three weeks.



[Park Hyang/Central Accident Control Headquarters Head of Prevention and Prevention: (This situation) I think that the number of confirmed cases has turned to an increasing trend because ventilation became difficult due to the expectation of normal recovery and the increase in indoor activities due to the cold weather.]



In particular, the fact that Halloween parties and festivals were held in nightlife districts in large cities across the country for three days from last Friday, ahead of the transition to the quarantine system, will inevitably have an impact in the future.



The quarantine authorities said they expect the number of patients to increase two to three times compared to now after the gradual recovery of daily life begins.



He also said that in a situation where unvaccinated people account for 70% of the total number of confirmed cases, the number of confirmed cases of about 5,000 seems to be the limit that our medical system can tolerate.