[Consumerwide- Youngchul, Woo Reporter/ Yohan, Bok Reporter] It's rather uneasy to see anyone with facial masks these days on subways due to end of face mask mandatory. But then, we get to bump into people who are seemingly showing flu symptoms such as running nose or coughs, which can also be found in office elevators and indoor settings. I happened to see someone who didn't wear masks, even while he was holding medicine in his hand in a pharmacy. Thus, I was worried about what it would be if he had a Covid-19.

My worries seem to become reality. It's been predicted by the government that Covid-19 patients will reach an average of 60 thousand a day, and maximum 76 thousand, by midmonth, along with a continuous 5-week increase in new Covid patients. Followed by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 3rd, the number of Covid-19 patients has been consistently increasing since the end of June for continuous 5 weeks.

The weekly average number of Covid-19 patients during July was first week, 21856, second week, 26705, third week, 36258, fourth week, 44844, which was approx. 20% increase between each week. KDCA says our medical care systems are good enough to handle due to the nature of the latest version of Covid (Omicron XBB), which has a low probability of death. Nevertheless, once you get Covid-19, suffering is inevitable, which accompanies burning sore throat, headache, high fever, getting almost locked at home, and the spread to family and beloved ones.

For this reason, the best thing is not getting Covid-19. And, we have already experienced the power of masks, and personal hygiene and cleanliness, which prevent us from getting the disease.

However, the issue lies in extreme heat. In the midst of extreme heat that is over 35 degrees Celsius, it is not easy to wear masks. Hence, we have got to wear masks, at least in indoor settings where we have got air conditioners. The price of a KF94 mask is stable, which is cheap as 50 thousand won for 200 KF94 masks on one of the shopping channels (TV home shopping case). KDCA perceives a full scale of another pandemic as we enter winter. It is probably a good idea to purchase extra masks while there are plenty on the market. Wearing masks at the minimum indoors can be one of the best daily consumption for us all.