67 Confirmed Cases Across Gyeongbuk on Christmas Eve... Half, 34, Related to Churches

46 Cases in Gumi Songjeong Church Cluster Over Four Days
9 New Cases Included, Total 24 at Gyeongju Seonggwang Church
As of Midnight on the 25th, Cumulative 2,194 Cases Reported in Gyeongbuk Region

On the afternoon of the 24th, Christmas Eve, at Myeongdong Cathedral in Jung-gu, Seoul, the 'Lord's Nativity Mass' was held partially online, and a citizen visiting the cathedral is looking at the manger.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] As of midnight on the 25th, the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Gyeongbuk Province reached 67, marking the highest record since March 6.

In Gyeongbuk, after new confirmed cases surged mainly through churches, the number of new cases reached the 30s for the first time in nine months with 31 cases on the 17th, followed by 59 on the 21st and 50 on the 23rd. In the past week, local infection cases have been pouring out at an average of 43 cases daily.

The number of new confirmed cases by region is as follows: Gumi 20, Andong 12, Gyeongju 11, Yeongju and Cheongsong 7 each, Pohang 6, Gyeongsan 3, and Uljin 1.

Among the 20 new confirmed cases in Gumi City, 13 are church members and their families related to Songjeong Church. Another 4 are contacts of a confirmed case related to Yeongju Church (Gumi case number 142), and the remaining 3 are contacts of a prior confirmed case (Gumi case number 172).

At Gumi Songjeong Church, after a confirmed case on the 20th (Gumi case number 132), 3 more cases were confirmed the next day, and 4 more on the 22nd. Including these, the total number of confirmed cases related to this church has risen to 46.

In Andong City, among the 12 new confirmed cases, 7 tested positive all at once after contact with a prior confirmed case on the 22nd (Andong case number 116). The remaining 5 were also confirmed positive after being classified as contacts of the prior confirmed case and undergoing testing.

In Gyeongju City, among the 11 new confirmed cases, 9 are members of Seonggwang Church, where a cluster infection occurred. The other 2 are contacts of a prior confirmed case (Gyeongju case number 134). As a result, the number of confirmed cases related to Seonggwang Church in Seonggeon-dong, Gyeongju, has increased to 24 over three days.

All 7 new confirmed cases in Yeongju City are related to Yeongju Church and were confirmed positive while in self-quarantine. Among the 7 new confirmed cases in Cheongsong County, 6 have unknown infection routes.

Among the 6 new confirmed cases in Pohang City, 4 also have unknown infection routes, and the remaining 2 are contacts of a prior confirmed case (Pohang case number 148).

Among the 3 new confirmed cases in Gyeongsan City, 1 is a contact of a confirmed case in Ulsan, another attended Daegu Gwangjin Church, and the last has an unknown infection route. The single new confirmed case in Uljin County also has an unknown infection route.

In Gyeongbuk Province, 300 people (excluding overseas inflow) have been confirmed positive in various places over the past week, resulting in a weekly daily average of 42.9 confirmed cases. As of midnight on the 25th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases was 2,194, an increase of 67 from the previous day.

Meanwhile, in Gyeongbuk, after the daily confirmed cases peaked at 122 on March 6, the highest in the province, the number dropped to 31 on March 8. However, after showing 31 cases again on December 17, the number surged to 59 on the 21st, indicating that the spread shows no signs of slowing down.

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