922 New COVID-19 Cases by 6 PM... Seoul Metropolitan Area Accounts for 71%

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] As the fourth wave of COVID-19 spreads across South Korea, confirmed cases continued to surge nationwide on the 10th.

According to health authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, a total of 922 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide from midnight to 6 p.m. on the day. This is 128 fewer than the 1,050 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

The mid-day tally at 6 p.m. showed 1,006 cases on the 6th, marking the first time this year that daily cases exceeded 1,000. The daily counts then rose to 1,010 → 1,039 → 1,050, maintaining four consecutive days of four-digit figures, but on this day, the number dropped below 1,000.

However, it is difficult to interpret this as a slowdown in the spread. Typically, the number of tests significantly decreases on weekends or holidays, leading to a drop in confirmed cases.

Looking at the regions where confirmed cases were reported after midnight on this day, 655 cases (71.0%) were from the Seoul metropolitan area, and 267 cases (29.0%) were from non-metropolitan areas.

By city and province, the numbers were: Seoul 408, Gyeonggi 188, Incheon 59, Busan 55, Gyeongnam 44, Daejeon 27, Chungnam 24, Daegu 23, Jeju 22, Gwangju 19, Ulsan and Gangwon 17 each, Gyeongbuk 10, Chungbuk 7, Jeonnam and Jeonbuk 1 each. Among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, Sejong has yet to report any confirmed cases.

Since there is still time until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced at midnight on the 11th is expected to increase to around 1,100, possibly reaching the 1,200 range. On the previous day, 328 cases were added after 6 p.m., closing at a final count of 1,378.

The fourth wave, which began in earnest this month, is spreading at a frightening pace day by day. In particular, the number of cases originating in the Seoul metropolitan area has exceeded 1,000 for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea. In Seoul, the weekly daily average of confirmed cases is about 431, surpassing the level 4 threshold (389 or more) for two consecutive days including the previous day.

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