Domestic COVID-19 New Cases 246... Local Transmission 235 (Update)

Disinfection workers are conducting sanitation operations at Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, where a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] On the 18th, 246 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were identified in South Korea. The number of confirmed cases, mainly centered around religious facilities in the Seoul Seongbuk-gu Sarang Jeil Church and the metropolitan area, exceeded 200 again just two days after recording 279 cases on the 16th, spreading uncontrollably.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters for COVID-19 (CDSCH), as of midnight on the day, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases was 235 from local transmission and 11 from overseas inflow. The cumulative number of confirmed cases increased to 15,761.

Among local transmissions, 131 cases were reported in Seoul, 52 in Gyeonggi, and 18 in Incheon, totaling 201 cases in the metropolitan area alone. Other cases included 7 in Busan, 6 each in Daegu and Jeonbuk, 4 in Chungnam, 3 each in Gwangju and Gyeongbuk, 2 each in Gangwon and Ulsan, and 1 in Chungbuk.

Of the 11 overseas inflow cases, 6 were detected during quarantine, and the remaining 5 were confirmed in local communities. Six were Korean nationals, and five were foreigners. The countries of overseas inflow were France (2 cases), and one case each from the United States, the Philippines, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Chile, Guinea, Gabon, and Ethiopia.

The number of patients who have been declared recovered and released from isolation increased by 17 from the previous day to 13,934. Among previously confirmed cases, one patient died, raising the death toll from 305 to 306.

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