DELTA VARIANT STARTS SPREADING

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Daily cases in Korea have surpassed 600 for three consecutive days. Health authorities say the Delta variant has begun spreading in the nation. They are considering booster shots to prevent the spread of Covid variants.

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Since the first case of Covid-19 was detected at a construction site in Seoul on June 20, a total of 16 cases have been reported in the outbreak. Daily cases in the capital city recorded 252, while there were 184 cases in Gyeonggi-do Province and 15 in Incheon. About 78 percent of all confirmed patients are in the greater Seoul area. Disease control authorities are warning that many asymptomatic cases in the Seoul metropolitan area are still undetected and could trigger massive outbreaks. As of last week 190 cases of the Delta variant were detected in Korea. Their number is rising rapidly. Health authorities have officially announced that the variant has begun spreading in the nation. Authorities are considering booster shots to prevent the spread of Covid variants.

[Soundbite] Jeong Eun-kyeong(KDCA Director) : "We are considering booster shots because the immunity cannot last forever even after vaccination and the body's response to virus variants may change."

A stable vaccine supply is imperative. Next month, 10 million more doses will be provided. The discussion of booster shots will be held in earnest after 70 million doses are brought in between August and September. Vaccines to be used in Q3 will likely be the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. Regarding the rising number of heart problems like myocarditis and pericarditis confirmed in young Americans that had received the mRNA vaccines, Korean health authorities say no such cases have been reported in the country. However, the risk of developing these two diseases will be added to the list of precautions. Authorities added that despite concerns about the variant spread, relaxed Covid-19 restrictions and incentives for the vaccinated will be enforced as planned next month.