Sangmi Cha

SEOUL (Reuters – South Korea announced Wednesday that it will increase COVID-19 testing in schools following a sharp uptake of children’s infections. This was weeks before a plan to reopen all schools across the country.

As part of the nation’s gradual transition to living with COVID-19, new social distancing guidelines that are aimed at a phased back to normal were in effect Monday.

South Korea has vaccinated almost 90% of its adult population, but it only started inoculating children between 12 and 17, which is just 0.6%.

Jeon Haecheol, Interior and Safety Minister said that there is a rising concern about the number of cluster outbreaks. This concerns schools and private tuition centers as well as educational institutions.

He said that the government plans to expand the use portable polymerase chain reactions (PCR) as a diagnostic test for COVID-19 in Seoul schools and in neighboring areas, and mobilize more staff who can prevent virus transmission in overcrowded schools.

South Korea will reopen all schools in the country starting Nov. 22.

On Tuesday there were 2,667 cases, which is more than 1000 more than the previous day. Officials stated that almost one quarter of new cases was found among teenagers.

Son Young-rae, a top official in the health ministry, stated that teenagers are active in community living, such as tuition centers and schools.

“We think that infection rates will unavoidably rise, and confirmed cases will keep rising due to the involvement of these teenaged people.”

South Korea did not see an increase in serious illness among teenagers, only one of the 378 COVID-19 severe patients was admitted to a hospital. South Korea’s mortality rate is also low at 0.78 percent.

The 12-17 year old age group was vaccinated using BioNTech/Pfizer shots in October.