Seoul and Gyeonggi Combined COVID-19 Cases Exceed 200... At a Crossroads to Block 'Sporadic Community Transmission'

Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a temporary closure notice is posted on a small business store in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 4th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, home to 23 million people, has surpassed 200. Gyeonggi Province exceeded 100 cases 38 days after the first patient (January 26), and Seoul also approached 100 cases with 99 confirmed patients.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on the 4th, the number of confirmed cases in Seoul increased by 1 from the previous day as of midnight, totaling 99, while Gyeonggi Province added 7 cases during the same period, reaching a total of 101. Seoul and Gyeonggi are experiencing 'sporadic community infections' where infections occur regardless of specific regions or groups. This differs from Daegu and Gyeongbuk, where cluster infections centered around the Shincheonji Church of Jesus are the main transmission routes.

As of the morning of the 3rd, Seoul city reported the infection routes as follows: 14 cases related to infections within Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital of Catholic University, 8 cases from contact with confirmed patients from other cities or provinces, 3 cases related to Myeongseong Church, 2 cases related to Shincheonji Church, and 71 cases classified as others (individual cases or under investigation for connections). Gyeonggi Province also reported among its 94 confirmed cases: 16 related to Shincheonji, 48 from contact with confirmed patients, 6 related to previous overseas inflows, and 24 others. Except for the hospital cluster infection at Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital and cases such as Suwon Saengmyeongsum Church, infections do not appear to be confined to specific groups or regions.

Looking at the trend, Seoul had 1 to 3 additional confirmed cases per day after the first patient on January 23, with only 14 cases over 25 days until February 16. However, after the first confirmed case in Daegu (31st patient) on February 18, the number of confirmed cases began to increase significantly, with about 10 additional cases daily. Gyeonggi Province showed a similar pattern, with about 10 additional cases daily since February 20, and in this month, 2 cases on the 1st, 3 on the 2nd, 7 on the 3rd, and 7 on the 4th were added.

By district in Seoul, Songpa-gu had the highest number of confirmed cases with 12, followed by Jongno-gu with 11. Other districts include Gangnam-gu with 9, Nowon-gu with 8, Eunpyeong-gu with 7, and Seongbuk-gu and Seocho-gu with 5 each. In Gyeonggi Province, Suwon had the most confirmed cases at 15. Icheon and Bucheon each had 9, Hwaseong had 7, and Anyang and Yongin each had 6. Currently, COVID-19 confirmed cases have been reported in 18 out of 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province.

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