COVID-19 New Cases Remain in the 500s for Four Days... Non-Capital Region Cases Also Account for 40%

543 New Confirmed Cases with 521 Local Infections... 3 Deaths
Seoul 155, Gyeonggi 147, Busan 61, etc... Many Risk Factors Including Easter and By-Elections

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The number of new COVID-19 cases has exceeded 500 for the fourth consecutive day. As cases increase not only in the metropolitan area but also in non-metropolitan regions, concerns about the possibility of a 'fourth wave' are growing.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), as of midnight on the 3rd, 543 new COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 104,736. Although this is 14 fewer than the previous day, the number has remained in the 500s for four consecutive days, the first time in over three months since January. The death toll increased by 3 from the previous day to 1,740, with a fatality rate of 1.66%.

Among the new cases, 521 were locally transmitted and 22 were imported. By region, the metropolitan area accounted for 316 cases, with Seoul reporting 154, Gyeonggi 143, and Incheon 19, making up 60% of all local transmissions. New cases in non-metropolitan areas also approached 40% of the total, with Busan reporting 61, Gyeongnam 28, Jeonbuk 20, and Daejeon 19 cases.

Cluster infections are expanding nationwide, including in entertainment establishments, street food stalls, and daycare centers. Continuous new cases have been confirmed from cluster infections at entertainment venues and companies in Geoje, Gyeongnam, and the number of confirmed cases related to a daycare center in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, has increased to 14.

So far, a total of 7,829,601 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have been conducted domestically, with 7,649,577 testing negative and about 75,000 awaiting results. The number of tests conducted at screening clinics was 41,306, an increase of 314 from the previous day. The positivity rate, which is the ratio of confirmed cases to tests conducted, was 1.31%, and the cumulative positivity rate was 1.34%.

With new cases emerging nationwide, voices expressing concern about the possibility of a 'fourth wave' are increasing. Especially with risk factors such as Easter celebrations at cathedrals and churches, the Qingming and Hansik holidays, early voting for the by-elections continuing until the 3rd, and the main voting day on the 7th, the situation remains highly risky.

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