COVID-19 New Cases, 654 as of 6 PM on the 3rd... Around 1,000 Again?

by Lim Chulyoung

Published 03 Jan.2021 20:27(KST)

Excluding New Cases at Dongbu Detention Center, 126 New Confirmed Cases at Dongbu Detention Center

As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues in South Korea, medical staff are collecting specimens at the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 3rd. On the same day, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight, 657 new confirmed cases were reported, bringing the total to 63,244. The number of cases in the 600s was recorded for the first time in 23 days since December 11 (689 cases). However, this is due to a significant decrease in the number of diagnostic tests conducted during the New Year holiday (January 1?3) compared to the previous weekdays, so it is too early to conclude that the spread has slowed down. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As of 6 p.m. on the 3rd, the number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) nationwide was counted at 654. Excluding confirmed cases from Dongbu Detention Center, the total number is likely to reach around 1,000 by the end of the counting period (midnight on the 4th).

According to the quarantine authorities and local governments, the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. on this day was 654, which is 108 more than the same time the previous day. This figure does not include the additional 126 confirmed cases from Dongbu Detention Center.

There were 406 cases in the metropolitan area and 248 cases in non-metropolitan areas, with over 60% of new confirmed cases coming from the metropolitan area alone. By city and province, the numbers are as follows: Gyeonggi 195, Seoul 153, Gwangju 68, Incheon 58, Busan 30, Gyeongnam 27, Daegu 24, etc. No new confirmed cases were reported in Jeonnam and Sejong.