COVID-19 New Cases at 500... 500-Level Cases After 6 Days Due to Weekend Effect

On the 26th, rapid PCR testing (rapid molecular diagnostic testing) for COVID-19 was being conducted for graduate students and faculty members in front of the College of Natural Sciences at Seoul National University in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea has dropped to the 500s for the first time in six days. The total number of tests fell to the 30,000 range due to the weekend effect, leading to a sharp decrease in confirmed cases.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Central Disease Control Headquarters reported that as of midnight on the 26th, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 500 from the previous day to 119,387. Among the new cases, 469 were locally transmitted and 31 were imported.

About 70% of the locally transmitted cases occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area. Seoul reported 152 cases (32.4%), Gyeonggi 147 cases (31.3%), and Incheon 13 cases (2.8%), totaling 312 cases in the metropolitan area, accounting for 66.5% of all new cases.

Other regions reported new cases as follows: Gyeongnam 29, Gyeongbuk 24, Busan 23, Chungbuk 16, Gwangju 15, Incheon 13, Ulsan 13, Gangwon 12, Daegu 7, Chungnam 7, Jeonbuk 5, Daejeon 4, Sejong 1, and Jeju 1. Jeonnam reported no new cases.

The weekly average of daily local cases, a key indicator for adjusting social distancing levels, remained in the 600s for the 15th consecutive day at 646.6 cases.

There were 31 imported cases, with 21 detected during quarantine and 10 identified locally. Among them, 17 were Korean nationals and 14 were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 36,116. At temporary screening clinics in the metropolitan area, 16,903 tests were conducted, confirming 85 new cases, while 1,025 tests were conducted at non-metropolitan temporary screening clinics, confirming 3 new cases.

The number of patients who have recovered and been released from isolation increased by 375 to 108,850. Among hospitalized patients, the number of critically ill patients decreased by 4 to 132. The death toll rose by 4 to 1,817.

On the morning of the 19th, general residents aged 75 and older at the Gwangju Buk-gu COVID-19 Vaccination Center are undergoing preliminary examination to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 6,140 people received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 2,266,888. Among them, 1,313,123 received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, and 953,765 received the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccination rate relative to the population is 4.4%.

The number of people who completed the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine increased by 367 from the previous day to 104,905. The second-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 0.2%.

The number of suspected adverse reaction reports increased by 82 to a total of 13,609. Among these, two additional deaths were reported among AZ vaccine recipients. This brings the total number of deaths following AZ vaccination to 40, and the total deaths following all COVID-19 vaccinations to 60.

There were no suspected cases of anaphylaxis or severe reactions such as seizures.

The remaining 80 cases involved common post-vaccination side effects such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea.

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