530 Confirmed Cases Nationwide by 6 PM... 600s Expected Tomorrow

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Junhyung Lee] New COVID-19 cases continued to emerge on the 21st amid the spread of the virus.

According to health authorities and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 530 new COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide from midnight to 6 p.m. on that day. This is an increase of 90 cases compared to the 440 cases recorded at the same time on the previous day (the 20th).

Among these, 342 cases (64.5%) were in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 188 cases (35.5%) were in non-metropolitan areas. By city and province, Seoul reported 183 cases, Gyeonggi 144, Daegu 45, Busan 27, Gangwon 25, Gyeongnam 17, Gyeongbuk 16, Incheon 15, Chungnam 14, Gwangju and Ulsan 12 each, Jeonnam 8, Daejeon and Jeju 4 each, and Chungbuk and Jeonbuk 2 each. Among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, Sejong has yet to report any confirmed cases.

Since the tally closes at midnight, the number of new confirmed cases announced as of 0:00 on the 22nd is expected to reach the 600s. On the previous day, 121 additional cases were reported after 6 p.m., bringing the final total to 561.

Over the past week, an average of 614 cases per day have been reported. The key indicator for adjusting the 'social distancing' level, the daily average of locally transmitted cases, stands at 590, which remains within the Level 2.5 range (nationwide 400 to 500 or more).

Major cluster infection cases include 39 additional confirmed cases related to entertainment establishments in Daegu, bringing the cumulative total to 58. In Asan, Chungnam, 9 more cases were confirmed linked to a hot spring bath, increasing the cumulative total in Asan and Cheonan to 44.

In a military unit in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, 4 soldiers tested positive, and in Gangneung, 3 additional Russian nationals were confirmed positive in relation to a cluster infection among foreign workers.

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