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Today (14th), the number of new corona cases is expected to increase to around 6,000 again. In the metropolitan area, we are already going beyond the limits of medical response. The government evaluated the current corona situation as 'very dangerous' not only in the metropolitan area but also nationwide. Jung Eun-kyung, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the government is considering strengthening social distancing for about a month this month.



Correspondent Suwon-wook.



<Reporter> As the



shortage of beds spread rapidly to non-metropolitan areas, the risk of COVID-19 last week was evaluated as 'very dangerous' across the country, the metropolitan area and non-metropolitan areas.



In the metropolitan area, the ratio of confirmed cases to medical capacity calculated by the government exceeded 100%.



That means we can no longer handle the infected.



[Lee Sang-won / Head of Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team, Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters: (The ratio of confirmed cases to medical capacity) exceeds 127.5% in the metropolitan area. Non-metropolitan areas are also rapidly increasing to 77.7%. There is a risk that non-metropolitan areas will soon reach the limit of their medical capacity... .] The



three major societies in the field of infection, including the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, issued a joint statement and warned that "serious casualties may occur if quarantine measures are not implemented immediately."



On the premise that the government compensates for 100% of the loss of the self-employed, the on-site medical personnel proposed to suspend daily recovery for two weeks immediately.



We want to go back to the past.



[Kim Jung-eun / Director of Seonam Hospital in Seoul: (Our hospital) is maintaining a full bed due to a rapid increase in the number of confirmed patients.

(What medical staff can do) All they can do is ask the borough to allocate a bed or tell the guardian to call



911.

]

The Omicron mutation is also spreading and expanding the infected area.



Following Incheon, Seoul and Gyeonggi, 24 confirmed infections were confirmed in Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, and Gangwon, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases increased to 114.



As a result of analysis by the quarantine authorities, additional transmission occurred between 2.8 and 3.4 days after infection, which was twice as powerful as the delta mutation, which took up to 5 days.



The government said that it would review the special measures if it continues to worsen after monitoring the trend of patients with severe cases and the spread of Omicron until tomorrow.



In this regard, Jung Eun-kyung, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that it is reviewing measures to strengthen social distancing, such as limiting business hours for multi-use facilities and reducing the size of private gatherings for about a month in December.