COVID-19 Cases Reach 370 by 9 PM... Around 400 Expected on the 18th

On the morning of the 17th, at the vaccination center set up in the indoor tennis court in Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, medical staff are examining a vaccine recipient who was transferred to the emergency treatment room due to an adverse reaction during a regional vaccination center drill. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] The impact of the third wave of COVID-19 continues.

On the 17th, confirmed cases were reported across the country. According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, a total of 370 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were recorded from midnight to 9 p.m. on that day. This is 48 fewer than the 418 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

Looking at the regions with confirmed cases, 267 cases (72.2%) were in the metropolitan area, and 103 cases (27.8%) were in non-metropolitan areas. By city and province, there were 124 in Seoul, 122 in Gyeonggi, 31 in Gyeongnam, 21 in Incheon, 14 in Daegu, 13 in Chungnam, 10 in Gangwon, 9 in Jeonbuk, 7 in Chungbuk, 5 each in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongbuk, 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, possibly reaching the mid-400s.

On the previous day, 51 cases were added after 9 p.m., bringing the final total to 469.

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

Over the past week, 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, re-entering the 2.5 level range (nationwide 400 to 500 or more).

Recent outbreaks have occurred 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).

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