Seoul Reports 208 New COVID-19 Cases and 1 Death

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 22nd that there were 208 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Seoul on the 21st.

This is 36 more than the 172 cases on the 20th, and 46 fewer than the 254 cases reported a week earlier (on the 14th). The daily number of confirmed cases in Seoul this month has generally been in the 200s, but tends to drop to the 100s on weekends, early weekdays, and the day after public holidays due to a decrease in testing.

Over the recent 15-day period (May 7?21), Seoul recorded an average of 206 new cases per day. During this period, 32,661 people were tested, with an average positivity rate (number of confirmed cases relative to the number of tests conducted the previous day) of about 0.6%.

Among the new confirmed cases in Seoul on the 21st, 3 were imported cases from overseas, and the remaining 205 were locally transmitted. Of these, 52 cases were confirmed at temporary screening clinics.

Among the new cases in Seoul, cluster-related patients included 4 from the Dongbuk District acquaintances gathering, 2 from metropolitan area acquaintances and family gatherings, 2 from the Eunpyeong-gyu religious facility (the second occurrence in May), 2 from the Songpa-gu Garak Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market (May occurrence), 2 from workplaces in Songpa-gu, and 18 from other clusters.

For cases not separately managed as cluster infections, 114 were confirmed to have had contact with existing confirmed patients, and 61 cases with unclear infection routes are currently under investigation.

Among the cluster cases, the 'Dongbuk District acquaintances gathering' has a cumulative total of 20 confirmed cases. Including the first confirmed case diagnosed on the 11th, all were tested and confirmed in Seoul. Epidemiological investigations revealed that the infection spread in a chain through two rounds of acquaintances gatherings involving acquaintances and their families.

As of midnight on the 22nd, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Seoul was 42,281. Of these, 38,863 have been declared recovered and released from isolation, while 2,938 are currently in isolation and receiving treatment.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths in Seoul reached 480, with one additional death reported.

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