Seoul Reports 384 New COVID-19 Cases Yesterday... Around 400 Cases Daily

On the afternoon of the 17th, citizens are lining up to get tested at a temporary screening clinic for COVID-19 set up at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eun-byeol] The daily number of new COVID-19 cases in Seoul has been hovering around 400.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 19th, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Seoul the previous day was 384. Of these, 382 were locally transmitted cases, excluding 2 imported cases from overseas.

Among major cluster infections, 15 new cases were reported at a nursing hospital in Guro-gu, 8 at a church in Seongbuk-gu, 6 at a church in Dongdaemun-gu, 4 at a church in Gangseo-gu, and 3 at a hospital in Dongdaemun-gu. Additionally, 171 cases were from contact with confirmed patients, and 153 cases are still under investigation for infection routes. There were 16 cases from contact with confirmed patients from other cities or provinces.

Although the number of confirmed cases is lower than the record high of 423 cases on the 16th, the spread continues.

The daily number of confirmed cases in Seoul ranged in the 200s from the 2nd to the 10th of this month: 262 → 295 → 235 → 254 → 244 → 213 → 262 → 251 → 252, then jumped to 362 → 399 on the 11th and 12th. After a brief decline to 219 on the 13th, the numbers surged again from the 14th: 251 → 378 → 423 → 398.

The 384 cases on the 18th is the fourth highest record to date. The daily confirmed cases from the 2nd to the 18th of this month correspond to the top 1 to 17 records in Seoul's history. The previous highest record until last month was 212 cases on November 25.

The number of tests surged to 52,346 on the 18th. Until the 13th of this month, Seoul's daily test numbers were around 10,000, but after temporary screening clinics were set up on the 14th, the number exceeded 20,000, reaching 34,907 on the 17th. With the significant increase in testing, the positivity rate decreased to 1.1% on the 18th.

The number of COVID-19 deaths in Seoul increased by 2 to 128. As of midnight on that day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Seoul was 14,240. The number of patients currently in isolation treatment is 6,081.

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