COVID-19 New Cases 1,014, Over 1,000 for Two Consecutive Days... 423 Cases in Seoul Alone (Update)

On the 17th, as the third wave of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continued, citizens lined up in a long queue at the temporary screening clinic near Sogang University Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Kim Woo-young, Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs of Seoul, announced that 423 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Seoul on the 16th, the highest number recorded in a single day. The previous record for the most daily confirmed cases in Seoul was 399 on the 12th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] On the 17th, 1,014 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were identified in South Korea. Following 1,078 cases the previous day, the daily number of confirmed cases has exceeded 1,000 for two consecutive days, indicating that the third wave of the pandemic is not subsiding.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on that day, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases was 993 from local transmission and 21 from overseas inflow, totaling 1,014 cases. The cumulative number of confirmed cases rose to 46,453.

The daily number of confirmed cases in South Korea over the past week, from the 11th to the 17th of this month, were 689 → 950 → 1,030 → 718 → 880 → 1,078 → 1,014 respectively. The number of cases exceeding 1,000 has occurred three times, showing a significant increase. The average daily number of locally transmitted cases over the past week was 882.6, meeting the criteria for social distancing level 3 (an average of 800 to 1,000 or more local cases per week or rapid increases such as doubling). New cases exceeding 100 per day have continued for 40 consecutive days since the 8th of last month.

On that day, local cases were 420 in Seoul, 284 in Gyeonggi, and 80 in Incheon, totaling 784 cases in the metropolitan area alone. Seoul reported 423 cases including 3 imported cases, surpassing 400 cases for the first time. The previous highest daily case count in Seoul was 399 on the 12th.

Outside the metropolitan area, cases were reported as follows: 44 in Busan, 30 in Gyeongnam, 20 in Daegu, 19 in Chungbuk, 18 in Jeonbuk, 17 in Chungnam, 12 in Jeju, 11 in Daejeon, 10 each in Gwangju and Ulsan, and 9 each in Gangwon and Gyeongbuk. Among the 21 imported cases, 7 were detected during quarantine and 14 were confirmed in the community. Of these, 11 were Korean nationals and 10 were foreigners.

As confirmed cases surge, the number of deaths and critically ill patients continues to rise. The death toll increased by 22 from the previous day, reaching a cumulative total of 634, the highest daily figure to date. The national average fatality rate rose to 1.36%. The number of critically ill patients increased by 16 from the previous day to 242. The number of patients who have recovered and been released from isolation rose by 663 to 33,610.

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