Common cold uncommonly common in post-pandemic Korea

As people slowly resumed their routines of the pre-pandemic era and as the country lifts its transportation mask mandates, various respiratory viruses are spreading across the country instead.

Parents register their children at Woorisoa Children's Hospital in Guro District, western Seoul on Wednesday. [YI WOO-LIM]

A growing number of Koreans are suffering from respiratory illnesses.

A 28-year-old office worker living in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, was surprised to see a long line at an ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinic this week. Despite the falling number of Covid-19 patients in the country, around 20 people were standing in line to enter the clinic.

After about an hour, the office worker was allowed to see the doctor, but was diagnosed with cold and acute laryngitis due to irritated voice box.

The 28-year-old tested negative for both Covid-19 and the flu.

“I haven’t been confirmed with Covid so far, so it is quite a surprise to catch a cold,” the office worker said.

“I think I should wear masks again for a while.”

The number of Covid-19 infections in the country stayed around 10,000 over the past week. On Thursday, 12,084 people were confirmed with Covid-19.

But as people slowly resumed their routines of the pre-pandemic era and as the country lifts its transportation mask mandates, various respiratory viruses are spreading across the country instead.

A person gets on a bus without a mask on March 20, the first day the public transportation mask mandate was lifted. [YONHAP]

According to a nurse working at an ENT clinic in Jung District, central Seoul, the number of patients who visited the clinic rapidly surged since mid-March.

The compulsory mask mandates on transportation were lifted on March 20.

“There were around 80 to 90 patients a day coming to the clinic, but this number rose since mid-March,” the nurse told the JoongAng Ilbo on Wednesday.

“Some 150 patients came last Monday, which is about twice the usual number.

“They mostly had respiratory symptoms such as a cough or a sore throat.”

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of acute respiratory infections in the country rose from 802 in the first week of March when schools started, to 1,493 in the fourth week.

Doctors say this outnumbers what was seen in the past three years.

“We are seeing the highest number of respiratory disease patients in the past four years, excluding Covid patients,” said Jung Seong-kwan, a doctor at Woorisoa Children’s Hospital in Guro District, western Seoul.

“The types of infections are so diverse from adenovirus to syncytial virus and rhinovirus.”

These widespread viruses are commonly known as causes of the common cold.

During the pandemic, the number of acute respiratory infection cases was 169 in 2020, 240 in 2021 and 131 in 2022 in the first three months of the year.

The number is now returning to the level it was in the pre-pandemic era where the figure reached 1,457 cases in 2018 and 1,055 in 2019.

“People were no longer suffering from respiratory illnesses thanks to the mask, but as most prevention measures of Covid-19 are lifted and people no longer wear masks, it is natural to see more people getting sick,” said Jung Ki-suck, a pulmonary and allergy professor at Hallym University Medical Center in Anyang, Gyeonggi, who’s head of an experts group that provides advice to the government on Covid.

“The number of infections is also rising as immunity to viruses has weakened due to strengthened social distancing measures implemented during the past three years.”

Some say those with respiratory sicknesses are having even worse symptoms due to the aftermath of Covid-19.

“There are many patients these days who are having symptoms of acid reflux or nose inflammation,” said a doctor at an ENT clinic in Jung District, central Seoul.

“It is concerning as this may be due to post-Covid conditions.”

But according to Jung, the current phase is an essential step the society needs to go through in order to completely return to the pre-pandemic era and regain lost immunity.

BY YI WOO-LIM, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]