New COVID-19 Cases Fall to 500s Amid 'Weekend Effect'

Medical staff are collecting samples at a temporary COVID-19 screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza on the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea fell to the 500s amid the 'weekend effect.' The number of people who completed the first dose of vaccination reached 15.29 million, raising the vaccination rate to 29.8% of the population.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 28th at midnight that the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases increased by 501 from the previous day to 155,572. Among the new cases, 472 were locally transmitted and 29 were imported cases.

About 78% of the locally transmitted cases occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area. There were 179 cases (37.9%) in Seoul, 157 cases (33.3%) in Gyeonggi, and 30 cases (6.4%) in Incheon, totaling 366 cases in the metropolitan area.

Other regions reported the following cases: 37 in Busan, 30 in Incheon, 16 in Gangwon, 10 in Gyeongnam, 7 in Daejeon, 7 in Ulsan, 6 in Gwangju, 6 in Chungnam, 5 in Daegu, 5 in Chungbuk, 2 in Jeonbuk, 2 in Jeonnam, 2 in Jeju, and 1 in Gyeongbuk. Sejong reported no new cases.

There were 29 imported cases. Among them, 11 were detected during quarantine, and 18 were confirmed in the community. Of these, 25 were Korean nationals and 4 were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 29,809. Due to the 'weekend effect,' the number of tests significantly decreased. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 14,663 tests were conducted, confirming 80 new cases, while 2,895 tests were conducted at non-metropolitan temporary screening clinics, confirming 9 new cases.

The number of patients who recovered and were released from isolation reached 146,675, an increase of 335 from the previous day. Among hospitalized patients, the number of critically ill patients decreased by 6 to 141. The death toll rose by 2 to 2,015.

The COVID-19 vaccination center in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, where vaccinations are being administered. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 6 people received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 15,293,020. Among them, 10,397,200 received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, 3,755,639 received the Pfizer vaccine, 17,466 received the Moderna vaccine, and 1,126,477 received the Janssen vaccine. The vaccination rate relative to the population is 29.8%.

The number of people who completed vaccination increased by 740 from the previous day to 4,643,951. The second-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 9.0%. An additional 734 people received the Pfizer vaccine, bringing the total number of fully vaccinated Pfizer recipients to 2,615,239. There were no additional AZ vaccinations. Moderna’s additional doses have not yet reached the interval for administration, and the Janssen vaccine was developed as a single-dose vaccine, so all first-dose recipients are considered fully vaccinated.

Reports of suspected adverse reactions after vaccination increased by 1,327 over two days, totaling 85,149 cases. Among these, 888 were related to AZ, 297 to Pfizer, 130 to Janssen, and 12 to Moderna. The cumulative adverse reaction reporting rates are 0.57% for AZ, 0.23% for Pfizer, 0.52% for Janssen, and 0.18% for Moderna.

Among the new reports, 1,275 cases involved common post-vaccination symptoms such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea, accounting for the majority.

Serious adverse reactions included 1 suspected case of anaphylaxis and 49 additional reports of major neurological adverse reactions. Two deaths following vaccination were reported: one after receiving the AZ vaccine and one after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.

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