409 Confirmed Cases by 6 PM... 500 Expected Tomorrow

Average Daily Local COVID-19 Cases at 629
Exceeding the Upper Limit of Social Distancing Level 2.5

On the 18th, citizens are lining up to get tested at the temporary COVID-19 screening site set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] As the spread of COVID-19 continues, confirmed cases are surging nationwide on the 18th as well.

According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, from midnight to 6 p.m. on this day, a total of 409 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide. This is 132 fewer than the 541 cases recorded at the same time the previous day. By region, 244 cases (59.7%) were in the metropolitan area, and 165 cases (40.3%) were in non-metropolitan areas.

By city and province, there were 121 cases in Gyeonggi, 120 in Seoul, 26 each in Ulsan and Gyeongnam, 24 in Busan, 16 in Daegu, 15 in Gyeongbuk, 12 each in Gangwon and Chungnam, 10 in Daejeon, 8 in Jeonbuk, 7 in Gwangju, 6 in Chungbuk, 3 in Incheon, 2 in Jeonnam, and 1 in Jeju. Among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, Sejong has 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 midnight on the 19th is expected to increase further, reaching the 500s.

On the previous day, 131 cases were added after 6 p.m., closing at a final count of 672 cases.

With the rapid increase in confirmed cases this month, the country has already entered the early stages of the '4th wave.' Until last month, the daily new confirmed cases fluctuated between 300 and 400, but since then, they have risen to the 500s, 600s, and even reached the 700s. From the 12th to this day, the daily new confirmed cases were 587 → 542 → 731 → 698 → 673 → 658 → 672, averaging about 652 cases per day.

Among these, the daily average of locally transmitted cases, a key indicator for adjusting the 'social distancing' level, was 629, exceeding the upper limit of the 2.5-level criteria (nationwide 400 to 500 or more).

Major cases include 18 confirmed cases among church members in a church in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, and 11 positive cases related to door-to-door sales in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. Additionally, in Goyang, Gyeonggi, there were 11 infections each in a daycare center and a high school, and the cumulative confirmed cases related to a club and church in Gwangmyeong reached 16.

Elsewhere, new cluster infections were confirmed nationwide, including 6 cases at a sauna in Seo-gu, Daegu; 6 cases at a workplace in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk; 5 cases at an insurance company in Iksan, Jeonbuk; and 6 cases at a manufacturing company in Asan, Chungnam.

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