Domestic COVID-19 Cases Exceed 1,000 After 37 Days

169 New Cases Overnight, Total 1,146
Among Additional Cases, 134 in Daegu and 19 in Gyeongbuk
Deaths Also Increase by 2, Total 12

[Asia Economy Reporters Choi Dae-yeol, Kim Heung-soon, Jo Hyun-ui] On the 26th, the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea exceeded 1,000.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for COVID-19, as of 9 a.m. on that day, the total number of COVID-19 patients in South Korea was 1,146. This is an increase of 169 from 977 as of 4 p.m. the previous day. Thus, it took 37 days since the first patient was reported on the 20th of last month to surpass 1,000 cases. South Korea is the second country after China (78,064 cases) to exceed 1,000 confirmed cases.

By region, 153 additional patients were confirmed overnight in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, where clusters of cases occurred at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus and Cheongdo Daenam Hospital. Additionally, 8 new cases were reported in Busan, 4 in Seoul, 2 in Gyeongnam, and 1 each in Gyeonggi and Incheon.

The number of deaths among confirmed cases also increased by 2, bringing the total to 12. The 11th death was a 35-year-old Mongolian male who came to South Korea for a liver transplant and died at Myongji Hospital in Goyang at around 5:50 p.m. the previous day while receiving inpatient treatment. He is the first foreigner to die after being confirmed with COVID-19 in South Korea. Myongji Hospital stated, "This patient had chronic liver disease and end-stage renal failure, which also affected heart function, leading to death." The 12th death was a 73-year-old male who was being treated at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital in Daegu and died at around 1 a.m. on the day after developing septic shock on the 24th. He was a Shincheonji church member with underlying conditions of diabetes and hypertension and was confirmed positive at the Daegu Medical Center screening clinic on the 20th.

The number of patients who have been declared recovered also increased by one. This is the 37th domestic patient (47-year-old male) who was isolated and treated at Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu. According to Daegu City, he tested negative for COVID-19 in diagnostic tests conducted on the 24th and 25th and was released from isolation. He will be discharged in the afternoon. Although not yet included in the official count by the health authorities, the total number of confirmed patients released from isolation has increased to 23. As of 9 a.m. on that day, 44,981 suspected patients with fever and cough after traveling to China and other COVID-19 outbreak countries were under observation. This is an increase of 5,654 from 39,327 as of 3 p.m. the previous day. Among them, 28,247 tested negative, and 16,734 are still undergoing testing.

Meanwhile, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters secured a complete list of approximately 212,000 Shincheonji church members around 10 p.m. the previous day. This list was delivered to local governments nationwide on the morning of that day under confidentiality. Local governments plan to prioritize diagnostic testing for high-risk groups among believers suspected of COVID-19 symptoms, especially those with underlying conditions or advanced age.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.