Seoul COVID-19 Cases Reach 100... 15 Cumulative Cases at Schools in Gangdong-gu

As of 0:00 on the 8th, the number remains in the 100s for a week
Weekend testers decrease slightly
6 more cases in Gangdong-gu high school, total 15 cases

As the third wave of COVID-19 continues in South Korea, citizens are lining up at the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, on February 28 to get tested. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The number of new COVID-19 cases in Seoul remained in the 100s for the seventh consecutive day. With the new semester starting, cluster infections also occurred in schools.

Seoul city announced on the 8th at midnight that 100 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the city the previous day. This is 32 fewer than the 132 cases reported on the 6th.

The daily new cases in Seoul recorded 258 on the 16th of last month and 92 on the 28th, and have remained in the 100s for a week since the 1st of this month.

Over the past weekend, the number of tests significantly decreased, leading to a drop in new cases on the 7th as well. Both the number of tests and new cases decreased, resulting in a positivity rate of 0.5% on the 7th, the same as the previous day (6th). The average daily number of tests over the past 15 days was 24,684, with a positivity rate of 0.5%.

Cluster infections in schools have raised concerns among health and education authorities. A cluster infection at a high school in Gangdong-gu resulted in a cumulative total of 15 confirmed cases (13 in Seoul), including 6 cases reported the previous day. An additional case related to an academy in Songpa-gu was confirmed, bringing the total to 34.

There were 3 new cases related to a nursing hospital in Dongdaemun-gu, and one new case each related to restaurants in Yeongdeungpo-gu and Nowon-gu, and a workplace in Gangnam-gu. Additionally, there were 4 cases from other cluster infections, 44 cases from contact with other confirmed patients, 9 cases from contact with confirmed patients from other cities, and 28 cases with infection routes under investigation.

According to Seoul's weekly trend report, the average daily number of confirmed cases last week (from the 28th of last month to the 6th of this month) was 120.0, a decrease of 5.6 from the previous week (21st to 27th of last month), which was 125.6.

During this period, the proportion of cases with 'infection route under investigation' increased from 22.9% to 25.5%, while the proportion of asymptomatic cases decreased from 35.6% to 32.1%. The proportion of confirmed cases aged 65 and older rose from 18.2% to 21.0%, and the weekly death toll increased from 12 to 14.

In the past week, the most common types of cluster outbreaks were transmissions among acquaintances-workplaces and family-workplaces, totaling 132 cases. This was followed by medical institutions (34 cases), workplaces (27 cases), and nursing facilities (16 cases).

As of midnight on the 8th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Seoul was 29,179. There are 2,988 patients currently in isolation, and 25,795 people have been discharged after recovery. The number of COVID-19 deaths in Seoul increased by 2 in 24 hours, reaching a total of 396.

Since the start of COVID-19 vaccinations on the 26th of last month, a total of 30,876 people in Seoul have received their first dose. On the 7th, 424 new vaccinations were administered in Seoul.

Meanwhile, Seoul city has detected 43 violations (involving 100 people) of the administrative order banning private gatherings of five or more people, and imposed fines on 21 of these cases.

Song Euncheol, head of Seoul's Infectious Disease Control Division, explained during an online briefing on the morning of the 8th, "To impose fines, it is necessary to confirm the violation and verify personal information to identify the individuals involved. However, it is difficult to identify individuals from photos, video captures, or social media (SNS) reports, making it challenging to proceed with the penalty process."

Seoul has been enforcing the administrative order banning private gatherings of five or more people since midnight on December 23rd last year.

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