##韩国新冠疫情预计月底达峰，政府将维持预警级别并加强高危人群防护
**首尔** – 据韩国疾病管理厅（疾管厅）21日消息，预计今夏韩国境内新冠疫情将在月底达到顶峰后逐步消退。政府将维持现有的传染病危机预警级别，并基于现行医疗体系加以应对。同时，政府还将提前引进比原计划更多的新冠治疗药品，并加强对高危人群的防护工作。
疾管厅对220家医院级医疗机构进行抽样监测的结果显示，新冠住院患者人数由7月第三周的226人增至8月第二周的1366人。考虑到近两年的新冠疫情趋势，本轮疫情将在月底达到去年疫情峰值后逐步平息。本轮疫情主要受到去年冬季疫苗接种率低、新变异株KP.3出现等影响。值得注意的是，去年新冠致死率（0.05%）与季节性流感相当。
疾管厅厅长池荣美表示，本轮疫情可被视为疫情大流行向地方性流行病转化的过程，但由于新冠对老年人的致死率依然较高，政府正在致力于高危人群防护工作。疾管厅原计划下周引进14万人份治疗药品，但经与跨国药企协商决定将于26日引进17.7万人份，预计新冠药品和抗原检测试剂盒供应保持稳定。
政府还将构建医疗应对体系，让新冠患者可根据症状的严重程度及时接受治疗。池荣美表示，政府将运营地方政府联合专项应对组，自疫情初期起就抓好卫生站的患者防护管理，并从10月开始进行疫苗接种。届时，65岁以上老年人、免疫力低下和高风险设施入住者等高危人群可免费施打。
韩国政府的应对措施表明，尽管疫情预计将在月底达到顶峰后逐步消退，但政府仍将保持高度警惕，并采取措施确保医疗资源的充足供应，以及对高危人群的有效防护。
英语如下：
##South Korea’s COVID-19 Peak Expected by Month’s End, Government Steps Up Response
**Keywords:** Peak of the epidemic, high-risk protection, drug reserves
**Seoul** – According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on August 21st, the peakof South Korea’s COVID-19 wave is expected to arrive by the end of the month, followed by a gradual decline. The government will maintain thecurrent infectious disease crisis alert level and respond based on the existing medical system. Simultaneously, the government will proactively procure more COVID-19 treatment drugs than originally planned and strengthen protection for high-risk groups.
Sampling monitoring conducted bythe KDCA across 220 hospital-level medical institutions revealed a surge in COVID-19 hospitalized patients from 226 in the third week of July to 1366 in the second week of August. Consideringthe trend of the past two years, this wave is projected to reach its peak, similar to last year’s peak, by the end of the month and then gradually subside. The current wave is primarily attributed to the low vaccination rate during last winter and the emergence of the new variant KP.3. Notably, lastyear’s COVID-19 fatality rate (0.05%) was comparable to seasonal influenza.
KDCA Director Jee Young-mee stated that this wave can be viewed as a transition from a pandemic to an endemic, but due to the continued high fatality rate of COVID-19 among the elderly, thegovernment is dedicated to protecting high-risk groups. While the KDCA initially planned to introduce 140,000 doses of treatment drugs next week, after negotiations with multinational pharmaceutical companies, it has decided to introduce 177,000 doses on August 26th. The supply ofCOVID-19 drugs and antigen test kits is expected to remain stable.
The government will also establish a medical response system to ensure that COVID-19 patients receive timely treatment based on the severity of their symptoms. Director Jee stated that the government will operate a joint special response team with local governments, focusing on patientprotection management at health centers from the initial stages of the outbreak. Starting in October, vaccination will be implemented, with free shots available for high-risk groups, including those aged 65 and over, individuals with weakened immune systems, and residents of high-risk facilities.
The South Korean government’s responsemeasures indicate that despite the expected peak and subsequent decline in the epidemic by the end of the month, the government will remain highly vigilant and take steps to ensure the adequate supply of medical resources and effective protection for high-risk groups.
【来源】https://cn.yna.co.kr/view/ACK20240821002800881?section=society/index&input=rss
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