662 New Confirmed Cases by 6 PM Today... 64 Fewer Than Previous Day

On the 25th, a citizen is getting tested at a temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza in Jung-gu. On this day, the number of new COVID-19 cases reached a record high of 1,241. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues in South Korea, confirmed cases surged across the country on the 26th as well. According to health authorities and local governments including Seoul City, a total of 662 new confirmed cases were reported nationwide from midnight to 6 p.m. on that day. This is 64 fewer than the 726 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

By region, the metropolitan area accounted for 443 cases (66.9%), and non-metropolitan areas accounted for 219 cases (33.1%). The breakdown is as follows: ▲Seoul 197 ▲Gyeonggi 186 ▲Incheon 60 ▲Busan 38 ▲Chungnam 35 ▲Gyeongbuk 29 ▲Gyeongnam 23 ▲Chungbuk 22 ▲Gangwon 17 ▲Daegu 17 ▲Gwangju 13 ▲Daejeon 7 ▲Jeonbuk 7 ▲Sejong 5 ▲Jeju 4 ▲Ulsan 1 ▲Jeonnam 1, with confirmed cases reported in all 17 cities and provinces.

Since there is still time left until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced at midnight on the 27th is expected to increase further. Considering that confirmed cases have surged significantly after 6 p.m. recently, the total could reach around 1,000. For example, on the previous day, there were 726 cases by 6 p.m., but the final count by midnight was 1,132.

Recently, new confirmed cases have been fluctuating around 1,000 daily. Over the past week (December 20?26), the daily new confirmed cases were 1,097 → 926 → 867 → 1,090 → 985 → 1,241 → 1,132, averaging 1,048 cases per day. Among these, the locally transmitted cases, which are a key indicator for adjusting the 'social distancing' level, averaged 1,017 per day, surpassing the 1,000 mark.

On this day, seven additional confirmed cases related to Cheongsa Church were reported in Gwangju, and infections linked to churches were also confirmed consecutively in Daejeon, Asan and Dangjin cities in Chungnam, and Cheongju city in Chungbuk, indicating that the spread through religious facilities has not subsided. In Jeju, infections are increasing linked to Halla Sauna, Dongbaek Daycare Center, and Live Cafe. Additionally, confirmed cases were reported among family members of employees at a meat processing plant in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, inpatients at Jeonbuk National University Hospital, staff at Hanam Police Station, and bus drivers in Seoul.

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