New COVID-19 Cases 794, 82% in Seoul Metropolitan Area... 1 Death Increase

Around 800 Cases for Two Days... Seoul 359, Gyeonggi 252
Capital Area Cases in 600s for 4 Days... Positivity Rate 2.74%

On the 2nd, the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded was in the low 800s. This is the highest number in about 170 days since January 7. Citizens are lining up to get tested at a temporary COVID-19 screening center set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea remained around 800 for the second consecutive day. Although the number of new cases dropped below 800 in just one day, concerns are growing as the proportion of cases in the metropolitan area reached 82%, and the Delta variant is spreading.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) on the 3rd, as of midnight, 794 new cases were reported. This brought the total cumulative cases to 159,342. Although this is 32 fewer than the previous day's 826 cases, it is the highest number of Friday cases since January 2.

The number of new cases, which fluctuated between 300 and 600 last month, began to surge again ahead of the government's new social distancing measures, rising sharply to the 700-800 range. The number of new cases confirmed over the past week were 614, 501, 595, 794, 761, 826, and 794 respectively.

Of the new cases, 748 were locally transmitted and 46 were imported. Local cases have remained in the 700s for four consecutive days since the 30th of last month. By region, Seoul reported the highest number with 353 cases, followed by Gyeonggi with 247 and Incheon with 14. The metropolitan area accounted for 82.1% of the cases, already reaching level 3 under the government's new distancing criteria. Non-metropolitan areas accounted for 17.9% of new cases, with 35 in Busan, 28 in Daejeon, 16 in Chungnam, and 11 in Gangwon.

Cluster infections continue mainly in the metropolitan area. The cluster that started at seven English academies in Mapo-gu, Seoul, has grown to 245 cumulative cases, and the cluster originating from a pub near Hongdae has spread to Busan. Indoor sports facilities in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, reported 17 cumulative cases, a dance practice room in Mapo-gu had 22 cases, and pubs and indoor sports facilities in Suwon City accounted for 42 cases.

The number of imported cases was 46, down 15 from the previous day. Among them, 19 were Korean nationals and 27 were foreigners. Of these, 23 were detected during quarantine at airports and ports, while the remaining 23 tested positive during self-isolation at their residences or temporary living facilities. The countries of origin were led by Indonesia with 12 cases, followed by Uzbekistan with 7, India and Mongolia with 4 each, and Brazil with 3.

The death toll increased by one to a total of 2,025. The fatality rate stands at approximately 1.27%. The number of critically ill patients decreased by one to 144, and the number of patients under isolation treatment dropped by 20 to 8,185. The total number of COVID-19 diagnostic tests conducted domestically reached 10,670,617, with 29,015 tests performed at screening clinics on the previous day. The positivity rate relative to the number of tests was 2.74%, slightly down from 3.03% the day before. The cumulative positivity rate was 1.49%.

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