COVID-19 New Cases 18... Daegu New Cases 3 (Summary)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunbyeol Kim] On the 18th, the total number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea was reported as 10,653.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of midnight on this day, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 18 compared to midnight the previous day. This is the first time in 58 days since February 20 that the daily new confirmed cases have dropped to the teens.

The daily new confirmed cases were 31 on February 18 when the 31st case was identified, followed by 34 on the 19th and 16 on the 20th. After the Shincheonji Daegu Church 'super-spreader' event intensified, hundreds of cases occurred daily, but the numbers have significantly decreased since the beginning of this month.

From the 9th, the daily new confirmed cases remained in the 20s to 30s range, maintaining the 20s for five consecutive days from the 13th to the 17th, before dropping to the teens on this day. The numbers were 25 on the 13th, 27 on the 14th, 27 on the 15th, 22 on the 16th, and 22 on the 17th.

Among the 18 new confirmed cases on this day, 5 were from Daegu and Gyeongbuk: 3 from Daegu and 2 from Gyeongbuk. In the metropolitan area, 6 new confirmed cases were reported: 1 in Seoul, 4 in Gyeonggi, and 1 in Incheon. Other regions reported 1 case in Gangwon, 2 in Chungnam, and 1 in Gyeongnam. Four cases were identified during quarantine. No new confirmed cases were reported in Busan, Gwangju, Ulsan, Sejong, Chungbuk, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, or Jeju.

By infection route, among the 18 new confirmed cases, 9 were imported cases, and the rest were classified as community transmissions.

So far, the total number of confirmed deaths in South Korea is 232, an increase of 2 compared to the same time the previous day. The fatality rate is 2.18%. The fatality rate among male confirmed cases is 2.89%, higher than the 1.70% among females. Most domestic deaths occurred among elderly confirmed cases with underlying conditions. In fact, the fatality rate for confirmed cases aged 80 and above reaches 23.28%. The fatality rate for those in their 70s is 9.65%, approaching 10%. The number of cases that were declared recovered but later tested positive again (reconfirmed) is 173, an increase of 10 from 163 the previous day.

The number of confirmed cases who have recovered and been released from isolation increased by 108 from the previous day, totaling 7,937. The recovery rate is 74.5%. As new confirmed cases decrease and releases from isolation continue to increase, the current number of patients under treatment is 2,484, a decrease of 92 compared to the previous day.

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