COVID-19 New Cases 775... Over 700 for the First Time in Four Days, Cumulative Total Surpasses 120,000

On the morning of the 26th, citizens are registering for COVID-19 testing at the screening clinic of Nam-gu Public Health Center in Gwangju. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea has risen back to the 700s after four days. As the weekend effect ended, the total number of tests increased again to over 80,000, causing a sharp rise in confirmed cases and surpassing a cumulative total of 120,000.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 28th at midnight that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 775 from the previous day to 120,673. Among the new cases, 754 were locally transmitted and 21 were imported.

About 60% of the locally transmitted cases occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area. Seoul reported 257 cases (34.1%), Gyeonggi 189 cases (25.1%), and Incheon 19 cases (2.5%), totaling 465 cases in the metropolitan area, accounting for 61.7% of all confirmed cases.

Other regions reported new cases as follows: 55 in Gyeongnam, 38 in Chungnam, 33 in Ulsan, 32 in Busan, 27 in Daegu, 27 in Gyeongbuk, 22 in Chungbuk, 13 in Jeonbuk, 11 in Gwangju, 11 in Gangwon, 10 in Daejeon, 5 in Jeonnam, 3 in Jeju, and 2 in Sejong.

The weekly average of daily local cases, a key indicator for adjusting social distancing levels, remained in the 600s for the 17th consecutive day at 648 cases.

There were 21 imported cases, with 7 detected during quarantine and 14 confirmed in the community. Among them, 12 were Korean nationals and 9 were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 85,333. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 35,240 tests were conducted, identifying 137 new cases, while 5,204 tests were conducted at non-metropolitan temporary screening clinics, confirming 9 cases.

The number of patients who have recovered and been released from isolation reached 110,248, an increase of 553 from the previous day. Among hospitalized patients, the number of critically ill patients increased by 4 to 160. The death toll rose by 4 to 1,821.

On the afternoon of the 26th, when COVID-19 vaccinations for essential social personnel such as police, coast guard, and firefighters began, a police officer from Gwangjin Police Station is receiving a vaccine at Hyemin Hospital in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 175,794 people received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 2,586,769. Among them, 1,444,013 received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, and 1,142,756 received the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccination rate relative to the population is 5.0%. The COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team explained, "The daily number of first-dose vaccinations has exceeded 170,000," and "The goal of vaccinating 3 million people by the end of April is progressing smoothly."

The number of people who completed the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine increased by 21,776 from the previous day to 148,282. The second-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 0.3%.

The number of suspected adverse reaction reports increased by 412 to a total of 14,567. Among these, 6 additional deaths were reported among Pfizer vaccine recipients. This brings the total number of deaths following Pfizer vaccination to 28, and the total deaths following all COVID-19 vaccinations to 68.

Additionally, 10 new cases of suspected anaphylaxis were reported, including 8 cases of anaphylactic reactions and 2 cases of anaphylactic shock. The number of severe suspected cases admitted to intensive care units due to adverse reactions also increased by 4.

The remaining 392 cases involved common post-vaccination symptoms such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea.

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