<Anchor>



Our quarantine authorities said they were cautious, but analyzed that the number of corona confirmed cases in Korea would soon pass the peak and decline.

The authorities also hinted at the meaning that the day to take off the mask indoors could come earlier than expected if the Chinese variable is well controlled.



Jo Dong-chan is a medical reporter.



<Reporter>



The word 'hope' came out in the first briefing of the new year by health authorities.



[Jeong Ki-seok/Corona 19 Special Response Team: I hope that the number of confirmed cases has almost peaked now.] The



number of confirmed cases fluctuates depending on the number of tests per day, but to avoid this, the average number of confirmed cases per day per week is set aside. Calculate.



It's flat from the 20th to the 27th of last month.



The state average infection reproduction index is just 1, and 1 confirmed person infected only 1 person.



However, from the 28th to the 1st of January, the infection reproduction index fell below 1.



The quarantine authorities said by Wednesday that this is the first time in this 7th epidemic.



The biggest variable is a mutation from China called BF.7, but this site changes and the existing antibody does not work.



So there is no choice but to have a lot of reinfection, but the quarantine authorities thought it could be controlled.



According to the Taiwanese report, 'BF.7 is not threatening', that is, it does not seem to have a high fatality rate.



He said that if many Chinese patients do not flow in at once, the lifting of the mandatory indoor mask could come sooner than expected.



If the spread is subdued, it is expected that the number of severely ill patients and deaths will change in a week.



However, he emphasized that high-risk groups should receive the improved 2-valent vaccine to reduce human casualties.



[Jeong Ki-seok/Corona 19 Special Response Team: Only half of the severe disease rate is the death rate.

The way to prevent severe illness is an improved vaccine, and then you have no choice but to use a treatment.]



Quarantine authorities plan to encourage vaccinations over the age of 60 while closely managing the situation of mutations from China.



(Video coverage: Kim Min-cheol, Video editing: Kim Yun-seong, CG: Choi Jae-young)



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