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As the prevalence of Omicron mutation in Korea continued to decline, the number of new confirmed cases yesterday reached 50,000.
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Another mutation of Omicron, which is spreading rapidly around New York, USA, was confirmed for the first time in Korea.
Correspondent Jo Hee-won.
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On March 8, the United States lifted the requirement to wear an indoor mask in all 50 states, starting with Hawaii.
However, as the number of new confirmed cases tripled in the last four weeks and there are signs of a resurgence, some states, including Los Angeles County, have revived the use of indoor masks.
This is because the sub-displacement ‘BA.2.12.1’ of BA.2, so-called ‘stealth omicron’, is rapidly spreading around New York City.
The first confirmed case was also reported in Korea.
The patient was a woman in her 50s who arrived from the United States on the 16th of last month.
The next day after arrival, I was confirmed by PCR test.
[박영준/중앙방역대책본부 역학조사팀장]
“It is currently understood that (the confirmed person) has completed the third dose. Since the patient’s condition was confirmed on April 17, no clinically unusual circumstances have been reported so far.”
Of the 16 people who came into contact with the confirmed person, no one has yet been confirmed.
The propagation power of ‘BA.2.12.1’ is estimated to be about 30% faster than that of ‘Stealth Omicron’, which is 30% faster than the existing Omicron.
So far, more than 4,700 cases have been confirmed not only in the United States but also in 14 overseas countries, and quarantine authorities do not expect it to significantly affect the decline in Korea.
One additional case of XE and XM mutations, which are omicron recombination mutations, were also confirmed.
The quarantine authorities said that the severity of these mutations has not yet been confirmed, and that they will strengthen monitoring to prevent domestic spread along with epidemiological investigations.
In addition, although the duty to wear an outdoor mask has been lifted, the possibility of a resurgence is still there, and he urged people to actively participate in wearing masks in crowded areas.
This is Jo Hee-won from MBC News.
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