South Korea's Virus Outbreak May Be Slowing, Officials Say
This article by Shinhye Kang for Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:
This article highlights widespread testing as one of the primary reasons South Korea has been able to make headway against the outbreak. Here is a section:
South Korea has borne its virus outbreak relatively well despite the scale of the spread. The country has been testing people for the virus at the fastest pace in the world, which appears to have allowed early detection of cases and keep its mortality rate lower than average. Infections have also been largely contained to Daegu and surrounding areas, although the government has not imposed restrictions over people’s movements like in China and Italy.
“New cases of coronavirus have been continuously slowing down, to 248 yesterday, after reaching a peak of 916 on Feb. 28. We should continue this trend,” President Moon Jae-in said in a meeting with his senior secretaries Monday. “Still, we need to stay vigilant as sporadic small group infections in Daegu, North Gyeongsang and other areas continue.”
The growth rate of South Korea’s cases appears to have peaked which suggests the measures put in place so far have helped contain the spread. The Kospi Index pulled back sharply today to test its recent lows.
The problem with efforts to contain the spread of the disease in the USA is the lack of testing. I was speaking with a friend in the private equity sector yesterday who mentioned a colleague had returned from a business trip in Asia and went to a hospital in New York to be tested, just to be on the safe side. They charged him $3500 for the privilege. At the other end of the spectrum, tests are not being performed regularly on those under self-quarantine. If there is any hope of containing the number of cases, then the efforts to do so will need to be ramped up significantly.
South Korea has borne its virus outbreak relatively well despite the scale of the spread. The country has been testing people for the virus at the fastest pace in the world, which appears to have allowed early detection of cases and keep its mortality rate lower than average. Infections have also been largely contained to Daegu and surrounding areas, although the government has not imposed restrictions over people’s movements like in China and Italy.
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