230 New COVID-19 Cases... Four Consecutive Days in the 200s (Update)

Local cases 202... "Capital area to raise alert level to 1.5 from 0:00 on the 19th"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is speaking at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting for COVID-19 response held on the 17th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] On the 17th, the number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea was 230, continuing the 200s for the fourth consecutive day following yesterday's 223 cases.

According to the domestic status compiled by the Central Disease Control Headquarters as of 0:00 on the day, 202 cases are estimated to be domestic infections, and 28 cases are imported from overseas.

This is the first time in 76 days since September 2nd (253 cases) that the number of locally transmitted cases has exceeded 200.

By region, Seoul reported 87 cases, Gyeonggi 38 cases, and Incheon 12 cases, totaling 137 cases in the metropolitan area. As the spread in the metropolitan area intensified, the health authorities decided to raise the 'social distancing' to level 1.5 starting from 0:00 on the 19th.

Outside the metropolitan area, Gwangju had the highest number with 18 cases, followed by Jeonnam with 16, Gangwon with 13, Chungnam with 9, Gyeongbuk with 3, Gyeongnam with 3, Daegu with 2, and Daejeon with 1.

The number of locally transmitted cases increased to 202 from 193 the previous day, showing an upward trend. Sporadic infections continue not only in the metropolitan area but also in non-metropolitan areas such as Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Gangwon.

The number of imported cases was 28, similar to the previous day's 30. The estimated countries of origin for imported cases are the United States with 11, Russia with 8, Bangladesh with 2, the Philippines with 1, Uzbekistan with 1, Indonesia with 1, the United Arab Emirates with 1, Ukraine with 1, Sweden with 1, and Mexico with 1.

Among the imported cases, 8 were identified during quarantine inspections at airports or ports, and the remaining 20 tested positive while in self-quarantine at their local residences or temporary living facilities.

As of this day, there are 60 critically ill patients, with no deaths reported the previous day, keeping the cumulative death toll at 494. The total number of confirmed cases in the country has risen to 28,998. With 101 patients released from isolation the previous day, 2,644 patients are currently undergoing isolation treatment.

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