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A line of people waiting to be tested for COVID-19 leads out of a temporary screening station in the square in front of Seoul Station on Thursday morning. (Yonhap News)

For the first time since the pandemic started, Korea recorded more than 100 deaths from COVID-19 in a single day. While government analysts believe the surge is slowing, they predict it will take another week or so before the country sees decreases in the numbers of deaths and patients in serious or critical condition.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters reported that 6,919 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed around the country by the end of the day on Wednesday. That was 537 fewer than the previous day (7,456). But the count of patients in serious or critical condition was at 1,083, up 20 from the previous day (1,063), while there were 109 deaths. That puts both indicators at their highest point so far in the pandemic.

Disease control authorities said that while it’s too soon to say the current wave of the pandemic is in decline, the surge has definitely slowed.

“This appears to be the effect of more people getting their third dose of the vaccine, as well as of the pandemic restrictions that were tightened on Dec. 6,” Son Young-rae, director of the Central Disaster Management Headquarters’ social strategy group, told reporters.

“However, we don’t think the social distancing measures that were toughened this past weekend have started to make an impact yet. The number of patients aged 60 and above is decreasing, and that will lead to a change in the number of serious and critical cases and deaths in about a week,” Son predicted.

According to figures provided by the Central Disease Control Headquarters, people aged 60 and above accounted for 25.5% of all new cases on Wednesday. That was nearly 4 points lower than on Dec. 16 (29.4%). Disease control authorities said that as the vaccination rate among the elderly population increases, the number of new cases will fall, and the medical system will get a little breathing room.

“64.9% of people aged 60 and above have received their booster shot. The vaccination appointment rate through the end of December among those eligible for a booster is 86% for people aged 60 and above and 67% among other age groups. That leads us to predict that the booster inoculation rate will continue to rise,” said the government body responsible for promoting COVID-19 vaccination.

“People aged 60 and above have recently accounted for 85% of patients in serious and critical condition and 94% of deaths, so we’re asking older populations to please get your booster before the end of the year,” the group said.

The unvaccinated continue to account for a large share of people who die from COVID-19. Among the 109 people who died of COVID-19 on Wednesday, 61 were unvaccinated, 4 had received one dose, 37 had received two doses, and 7 had received three doses.

By Jang Hyeon-eun and Lee You-jin, staff reporters

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