Daily COVID-19 Cases at 445... Over 400 for Two Consecutive Days

On the 16th, when the government announced special quarantine measures for the Seoul metropolitan area, citizens and foreign workers lined up at the temporary COVID-19 testing site set up at Guro Station Plaza in Seoul to get tested. The Seoul Metropolitan Government issued an administrative order requiring foreign workers to undergo COVID-19 testing from the 17th to the 31st. Accordingly, employers who hire even one foreign worker and the foreign workers themselves must undergo COVID-19 testing, and employers who do not comply with the administrative order will be fined. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The daily number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea has recorded over 400 cases for two consecutive days.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced on the 18th at midnight that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 445 from the previous day to 97,294.

The infection routes of the new confirmed cases were 427 local transmissions and 18 imported cases.

Among the locally transmitted cases, 7 out of 10 occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area. There were 124 cases (29.0%) in Seoul, 155 cases (36.3%) in Gyeonggi, and 20 cases (4.67%) in Incheon, totaling 299 cases in the metropolitan area, accounting for 70.0% of all confirmed cases.

In other regions, amid ongoing cluster infections related to bathhouses in Jinju City, Gyeongnam Province reported the highest number of cases with 35. Other regions reported new confirmed cases as follows: 23 in Gangwon, 15 in Jeonbuk, 13 in Daegu, 13 in Chungnam, 8 in Chungbuk, 7 in Busan, 5 in Ulsan, 5 in Gyeongbuk, 2 in Daejeon, 1 in Sejong, and 1 in Jeju. No new cases were reported in Gwangju and Jeonnam.

There were 18 imported cases. Among them, 9 were detected during quarantine procedures, and 9 were confirmed locally. Eight were Korean nationals and 10 were foreigners.

The number of patients who have recovered and been released from isolation reached 89,178, an increase of 364 from the previous day. Among the confirmed patients receiving inpatient treatment, the number of critically ill patients remained at 100, unchanged from the previous day. The death toll rose by 2 to 1,688.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 76,483. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 29,906 tests were conducted, confirming 66 new cases.

On the 17th, as the spread of COVID-19 continues, citizens wearing masks are moving around The Hyundai Seoul in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The quarantine authorities will implement special quarantine measures in the metropolitan area for two weeks starting today. Along with intensive inspections of multi-use facilities such as department stores, markets, and parks, an administrative order has been issued requiring diagnostic testing for foreign workers. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 18,733 additional people received COVID-19 vaccinations, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 641,331. Among them, 598,353 received the AstraZeneca vaccine, and 42,978 received the Pfizer vaccine.

There were 402 additional reports of suspected adverse reactions, bringing the total to 9,405. Among the new reports, 400 were mild cases such as headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, and 2 were suspected severe cases.

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