The government expects any impact on new caseloads from Halloween and the rollout of the new COVID-19 management system will emerge in about a week. 

Senior health ministry official Son Young-rae presented the assessment in a briefing on Tuesday, saying that the number of daily cases could rise. 

In particular, the government is concerned that the risk of the unvaccinated getting infected could further rise with easing quarantine rules under the new system. 

According to Son, fully vaccinated people have a more than 60 percent reduced risk of infection and more than 90 percent reduced risk of becoming seriously ill or dying due to COVID-19.

He reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated, projecting that 92 percent of the nation’s population 18 and over will be fully vaccinated by next week. 

However, there is a risk that COVID-19 infections could surge among the eight percent, or some four-point-three million people, who have not been inoculated.