New COVID-19 Cases Over 700 for Two Consecutive Days... 85% of Domestic Cases in the 'Capital Region' (Update)

First Half Year 1st Dose Vaccination 29.9%, Fully Vaccinated 9.8%

As COVID-19 cases surged in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, the current social distancing measures were extended by one week. On the 1st, citizens lined up at a temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea remained in the 700s for the second consecutive day. In the Seoul metropolitan area, which is leading the outbreak due to recent successive cluster infections, 607 new cases were reported.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of midnight on the 1st, 762 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 157,723. Of these, 712 were locally transmitted cases and 50 were imported cases. On the same day, the number of suspected cases tested was 35,245, with 39,148 tests conducted at temporary screening centers in the metropolitan area and 3,359 tests at temporary screening centers outside the metropolitan area, totaling 77,752 tests. Notably, 151 people tested positive at the metropolitan area temporary screening centers.

The spread in the metropolitan area continued on this day as well. In Seoul alone, 332 new cases were confirmed, with 245 in Gyeonggi Province and 30 in Incheon. Outside the metropolitan area, the cases were distributed as follows: 17 in Busan, 16 in Daejeon, 13 in Chungnam, 10 in Gyeongnam, 8 in Gangwon, 7 each in Daegu, Gwangju, and Jeonbuk, 5 each in Jeonnam and Sejong, 4 each in Chungbuk and Gyeongbuk, and 1 each in Ulsan and Jeju. New cases were reported in all regions nationwide.

The number of imported cases also increased, returning to the 50s. Thirty-one cases were identified during quarantine, and the remaining 19 were confirmed in the community. Notably, 27 of the imported cases came from Indonesia, representing the largest share.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths rose by 3 from the previous day to 2,021. The number of critically ill patients decreased by 5 to 144. An additional 331 patients were declared recovered and released from isolation, bringing the total to 148,024.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, as of midnight on the same day, 14,233 people received their first dose, bringing the cumulative total of first-dose recipients to 15,336,361. The number of people who completed vaccination increased by 107,695, surpassing 5 million in total. The vaccination rate relative to the population was 29.9% for the first dose and 9.8% for those fully vaccinated.

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