Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 30, 2025 5 months, 3 weeks, 3 days, 22 hours, 4 minutes ago
Medical News: Steady Increase in Hospitalizations
South Korea is experiencing a steady rise in COVID-19 cases, particularly among older people, as hospital admissions continue to climb. For the past eight weeks, more patients have required hospital care, reflecting a consistent upward trend.
COVID-19 Infections and COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rising in South Korea
According to data released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the 34th week of this year, covering August 17 to 23, reached 367. This marks the eighth consecutive weekly increase since the 26th week of the year. This
Medical News report highlights that cumulative hospitalization numbers reached 4,467 by week 34, with more than 60 percent of patients aged over 65.
Virus Detection and Sewage Monitoring
Researchers from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention observed that the COVID-19 virus detection rate has stayed steady at around 32 percent for the past three weeks. However, an important indicator—virus levels in sewage treatment plants—has continued to rise since late June. This suggests that silent community transmission is growing even if case reporting appears relatively stable. In past years, COVID-19 waves in South Korea have usually peaked during August, but experts now predict that the current outbreak may last for another one to two weeks before showing signs of easing.
High Risk Groups Urged to Be Cautious
Lim Seung-kwan, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cautioned that the summer wave of infections has not yet ended. He advised that high-risk groups, including the elderly and immunocompromised individuals, should avoid crowded events and continue wearing masks indoors to lower their risk of severe illness. Health authorities are particularly concerned that as cases rise, hospitals may see more severe outcomes among older adults who already account for the majority of current admissions.
New SARS-CoV-2 Variants Behind Rise
According to preliminary genomic sequencing data, the rise in COVID-19 infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations across South Korea is being driven by the emergence of new variants belong to the XFG strain. A number of sub-lineages has spawned form the XFG strain which is not only highly immune evasive but also has high transmissibility rates.
What the Findings Mean
The continuing rise in hospital admissions, coupled with increasing virus levels in sewage, points to the fact that COVID-19 is still actively spreading in South Korea. While many have returned to normal routines, the data shows that vulnerable groups remain at significant risk. Authorities are urging preventive measures such as mask-wearing and crowd avoidance, especially for older people, to keep hospitalization numbers from rising further.
The latest weekly updates by the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be fo
und here:
https://www.phwr.org/journal/archives_Supple_View.html?eid=U3VwcGxlX251bT0xNDI=
https://www.phwr.org/main.html
For the latest COVID-19 News, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/new-covid-19-variant-sweeping-across-the-united-states-with-positivity-rates-hovering-between-9-9-to-15-percent
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-cases-rising-in-latvia-with-warnings-of-worse-to-come
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-cases-have-been-rising-non-stop-across-japan-for-last-two-months
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-hospitalizations-rising-sharply-across-the-united-kingdom
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