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Authorities focus on treating COVID-19 in high-risk patients as summer wave could peak by end-August

August 21, 2024

Health authorities plan to focus on treating COVID-19 in high-risk patients as this year’s summer wave is expected to peak by the end of this month, the chief of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Wednesday.

KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee told reporters that she expects the current wave to subside when it passes its peak.

“The summer wave is predicted to rise until the end of August and then decline,” Jee said.

Jee said COVID-19′s fatality rate is similar to seasonal flu, but there is the need to protect old people.

“Since January 2020 through August of last year, the fatality rate of COVID-19 has been recorded at 0.1 percent. Last year, the rate was 0.05 percent, suggesting that the fatality rate of the omicron variants is comparable to that of the seasonal flu,” Jee said.

Jee said the government will maintain a stable supply of COVID-19 treatments and test kits and will launch inoculation programs with vaccines effective against other recent variants, such as JN.1, in October.

The KDCA added that it believes vaccines effective against the JN.1 variant will also work against KP.3, given their similar characteristics.