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For the first time in two years since a corona patient appeared in Korea, the number of daily confirmed cases exceeded 10,000. As the Omicron mutation spreads rapidly, the number of confirmed cases has increased by more than 4,000 compared to the previous day. Accordingly, the government has decided to advance the schedule and implement a medical system tailored to Omicron from this Saturday across the country.



First news, this is reporter Park Jae-hyun.



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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, 4,400 more 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 the omicron mutation is three times that of the 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. .



[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.



Starting today, the new testing and treatment system, which started in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do, and Pyeongtaek and Anseong in Gyeonggi-do, 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, 11,000 additional doses of Pfizer’s oral treatment, Paxrovid, will be added to the already introduced 21,000 doses.



(Video coverage: Hyung Yoon, Video editing: Jongmi Kim)