Overseas Infections from Iraq and Russia Surge... 113 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases

86 Imported Cases... Highest Ever
27 Local Cases... 22 in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim On-yu] Due to a sharp increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases imported from Iraq and Russia, the daily number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) exceeded 110 on the 25th. This is the first time in 115 days since April 1st (101 cases) that the number of new confirmed cases has surpassed 100.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight on the 25th, there were 113 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 14,092. Since the beginning of this month, the number of new cases has fluctuated between 30 and 60, except for 26 cases on the 20th, but the number of imported cases from overseas has sharply increased, pushing the total well over 100.

Looking at the infection routes of the new confirmed cases, 86 were imported cases, more than three times the 27 locally transmitted cases. The 86 imported cases are the highest number since the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Korea on January 20th this year. Even during late March to early April, when cases from Europe and the United States surged, the average number of imported cases was between 30 and 50. The previous highest record was 67 cases on March 29th.

Regarding the estimated countries and regions of origin for the new confirmed cases, Iraq (36 cases) and Russia (34 cases) accounted for the majority, followed by the Philippines (5 cases), the United States (3 cases), and France, Algeria, and Japan (2 cases each). In the case of Iraq, it was confirmed that 36 out of 293 Korean construction workers who returned the previous day tested positive. The cases from Russia are related to a cluster infection among 32 crew members of the Russian fishing vessel Petrwonho (7733 tons, 94 crew members) that docked at Busan Port.

Among the 86 imported cases, 81 were detected during airport or port quarantine processes, while the remaining 5 tested positive during self-quarantine at their residences or temporary living facilities in Gyeonggi Province (3 cases), Ulsan, and Jeonnam (1 case each).

Meanwhile, the domestic spread is not showing signs of slowing down. Of the 27 locally transmitted cases by city and province, Seoul and Gyeonggi each reported 11 cases, totaling 22 cases in the metropolitan area, and Busan reported 5 cases. The 5 cases in Busan were confirmed among repair company employees who had boarded the Russian vessel involved in the cluster infection.

In the metropolitan area, additional infections occurred centered around Sarang Church in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Gangseo Central Daycare Center, a senior day and night care facility in Gangseo-gu, and a frontline military unit in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Meanwhile, the death toll remained unchanged at 298. The health authorities announce daily COVID-19 patient statistics in Korea based on midnight data at around 10 a.m. each day.

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