COVID-19 Cases Reach 330 by 6 PM... Around 400 Expected Tomorrow

On the morning of the 17th, medical staff are preparing vaccines during a local vaccination center drill held at the indoor tennis court vaccination center in Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam./Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] On the 17th, COVID-19 confirmed cases continued across various parts of the country.

According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, a total of 330 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were recorded from midnight to 6 p.m. on that day. This is 22 fewer than the 352 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

Looking at the regions where confirmed cases were reported, 239 cases (72.4%) were in the metropolitan area, and 91 cases (27.6%) were in non-metropolitan areas.

By city and province, there were 113 cases in Seoul, 106 in Gyeonggi, 28 in Gyeongnam, 20 in Incheon, 12 each in Daegu and Chungnam, 10 in Gangwon, 5 each in Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, Jeonbuk, and Chungbuk, and 1 each in Gwangju, Daejeon, Sejong, and Jeju.

No confirmed cases have yet been reported in Jeonnam.

Since there is still time until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced as of 0:00 on the 18th is expected to increase to around 400.

The previous day, 117 cases were added after 6 p.m., bringing the final total to 469 cases.

New confirmed cases surged to the 600s due to a series of cluster infections immediately after the Lunar New Year holiday (February 11?14), then decreased to the 300?400 range, but recently have shown signs of re-spreading.

In the past week (March 11?17), the daily new confirmed cases were 465 → 488 → 490 → 459 → 382 → 363 → 469, averaging about 445 cases per day.

Among these, the weekly average of locally transmitted cases, a key indicator for adjusting the 'social distancing' level, is about 427 cases, re-entering the 2.5 level range (nationwide 400?500 or more).

Recent outbreak situations show cluster infections occurring in everyday life spaces such as workplaces, daycare centers, and restaurants.

Major new infection cases include ▲ a building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul (cumulative 23 cases) ▲ family and daycare center in Gwangjin-gu (18 cases) ▲ recycled clothing sorting business in Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi (14 cases) ▲ entertainment establishments in Seongnam-si (32 cases) ▲ building cleaning company in Guri-si (11 cases) ▲ restaurant in Namdong-gu, Incheon (12 cases) ▲ pharmaceutical company in Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk (19 cases) ▲ workplace in Jung-gu, Daegu (12 cases), among others.

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