<Anchor>



Today (the 4th), the number of new corona cases is expected to reach 40,000.

While the gradual decline continues, a mutation with stronger radio wave power than the existing Stealth Omicron was confirmed for the first time in Korea.



This is Correspondent Han Seong-hee.



<Reporter>



Last week, the average daily number of confirmed cases was 58,000, down 34% from the previous week.



Both severe cases and fatalities decreased by 32%.



[Lee Sang-won / Head of Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team, Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters: Weekly new confirmed cases have decreased for 6 weeks in a row.

I think the downward trend will continue for more than a month.] With a



clear downward trend, the risk level fell to 'medium' in 15 weeks in the non-metropolitan area following the nationwide and metropolitan areas.



The quarantine situation is stable, but the variable is the emergence of new mutations.



Stealth Omicron, which has 20% more propagation power than Omicron, and a new sub-mutation known to be 27% stronger than Omicron, was first identified in Korea.



A woman in her 50s who had completed the third dose was confirmed after arriving from the United States.



[Park Young-joon / Head of Epidemiological Investigation Team, Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters: No clinically unusual situations have been reported for the condition of the infected.

Investigations into the suspected infection are currently underway...

.]



It has not been confirmed whether it is more toxic, but in the United States, where this mutation is spreading, the number of confirmed cases increased by 70% last week from a month ago.



In South Africa, another omicron sub-mutation BA.4 and BA.5 is prevalent, and the number of confirmed cases has increased 7-fold in one month.



Studies have shown that these mutations also evade immunity formed by infection or vaccination.