Number of COVID-19 Confirmed Cases Reaches 342 by 6 PM... 22 More Than Yesterday

On the 19th, as the spread of COVID-19 continues, citizens and foreigners who underwent specimen testing at the temporary screening clinic set up in Guro Station Plaza, Seoul, are sanitizing their hands. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] As the spread of COVID-19 in South Korea shows no signs of easing, new confirmed cases continued nationwide on the 20th.

According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, from midnight to 6 p.m. on the day, a total of 342 new COVID-19 positive cases were recorded nationwide. This is 22 more than the 320 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

By region, 231 cases (67.5%) were reported in the metropolitan area, and 111 cases (32.5%) in non-metropolitan areas.

By city and province, Gyeonggi reported 118 cases, Seoul 99, Gyeongnam 38, Busan 18, Incheon 14, Daegu 12, Gangwon 10, Chungbuk 9, Jeonbuk 8, Ulsan 7, Gyeongbuk 5, Chungnam 2, and Gwangju and Daejeon 1 each. Among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, Sejong, Jeonnam, and Jeju have yet to report any confirmed cases.

Since there is still time until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced at 0:00 on the 21st is expected to increase further, reaching the low 400s.

However, as it is the weekend and the number of tests tends to decrease, the increase in confirmed cases during nighttime may not be significant. Typically, on weekends and holidays, the number of tests decreases, leading to a drop in confirmed cases.

The number of new confirmed cases has fluctuated between 300 and 400, but recently has continued to rise, maintaining the 400s daily. Over the past week from the 14th to the 20th, the average daily number of new confirmed cases was about 433.

Among these, the average daily number of locally transmitted cases, a key indicator for adjusting the 'social distancing' level, is approximately 416, which still falls within level 2.5 (nationwide 400 to 500 or more cases).

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