Flu Cases Rising Amid Extreme Weather

Flu cases are soaring as sweltering heat and monsoon rains alternate in Korea while people no longer wear masks. 

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Sunday, flu cases stood at 16.9 per 1,000 outpatients in the week of July 9-15, up slightly from 16.3 a week earlier. The surge has been going on for three weeks. 

Normally seasonal flu peaks in winter, and lockdown brought cases down during the coronavirus pandemic. But they have been rising again significantly since spring after the mask mandate was lifted and people began to mingle again.

COVID cases are also on the rise again, jumping from 10,000 to 20,000 per day from February to June to 30,000 per day this month.

But only some selected hospitals will report new cases from next month, when COVID is downgraded to the same level of infectious disease as seasonal flu.