New Cases 266... Below 300 for the First Time in Four Days

Impact of Reduced Weekend Diagnostic Tests
More Elderly Patients Expected from Sarangjeil Church Outbreak

On the 24th, in front of the main building of Severance Hospital in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, medical staff at a safety clinic set up for COVID-19 testing were adjusting a colleague's medical gown while performing duties related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) testing.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] On the 24th, the newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were counted at 266. Compared to the previous three days when cases surged to the 300s, this shows a slight slowdown; however, since the number of diagnostic tests decreased somewhat over the weekend, concerns about nationwide spread remain.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on this day, 258 new domestic cases and 8 cases suspected to be imported were identified. Among domestic cases, 201 were from the Seoul metropolitan area, accounting for the majority. The drop of over 100 cases compared to the previous day, when new cases approached 400, appears to be due to private diagnostic testing institutions temporarily suspending operations. Diagnostic tests numbered around 15,000 on the 22nd and about 13,000 on the 23rd. During the previous week when cases surged, approximately 20,000 tests were conducted daily.

By region, new cases were reported in 15 provinces except Daegu and Jeju. The possibility remains that the outbreak, which initially centered around churches in the metropolitan area, spread nationwide through gatherings and other events. The recent pattern of the outbreak shows sporadic cluster infections emerging across the country, with additional confirmed cases identified during contact tracing. Since the quarantine authorities have concentrated their efforts on blocking transmission in certain groups such as the Sarang Jeil Church, there are concerns that cutting off the chain of transmission might be delayed. The number of outbreak clusters has increased to 30, about three times more than two weeks ago, and nearly 20% of cases have unknown infection routes, which poses a burden for the quarantine authorities.

The number of severe and critical patients rose by 2 from the previous day to 32. Among the patients related to the Sarang Jeil Church, who have been appearing daily in the tens, the proportion of elderly patients is high, so the number of severe and critical patients is expected to increase further. The number of isolated patients also increased by 247 from the previous day, reaching 3,137.

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