New COVID-19 Cases Exceed 1,000 for a Week... Non-Capital Region Accounts for 27.6% (Update)

Local Cases 1,097, Imported Cases 53

On the 12th, as the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded 1,100, maintaining the 1,000 range for consecutive days, citizens who visited the temporary screening clinic set up in Yeouido Park, Seoul, are waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea has remained in the 1,000s for a consecutive week. On the 13th, 1,150 new cases were recorded, and as the outbreak spread to non-metropolitan areas, the proportion of cases outside the metropolitan area increased to 27.6% of the total.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of midnight, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 1,150 from the previous day to 170,296. The sources of infection were 1,097 local transmissions and 53 imported cases.

Among the locally transmitted cases, 794 cases, accounting for 72.4%, occurred in the metropolitan area. Seoul reported 414 cases, Gyeonggi 313 cases, and Incheon 67 cases, showing a slight decrease compared to the period when the metropolitan area was recording the highest numbers last week.

On the other hand, the spread in non-metropolitan areas appears increasingly concerning. Gyeongnam had the highest number of new cases among non-metropolitan regions with 49, due to cluster infections in entertainment facilities. This was followed by Busan with 47 cases, Daegu 36, Chungnam 32, Daejeon 31, Jeju and Gangwon each with 19, and Jeonbuk 18, with double-digit cases emerging in major regions.

There were 53 imported cases reported. Among them, 29 were detected during quarantine, and 24 were confirmed locally. There were 23 domestic nationals and 30 foreigners. By country, the highest number of cases, 17, came from Indonesia, where the Delta variant originating from India is rapidly spreading; among these, 10 were foreigners.

The total number of tests exceeded 130,000. The number of tests from suspected cases was 44,401. Temporary screening centers in the metropolitan area conducted 82,759 tests (with 128 confirmed cases), and non-metropolitan temporary screening centers conducted 7,722 tests (with 21 confirmed cases), totaling 134,882 tests.

Meanwhile, as of midnight, 31,182 people received their first dose of vaccination. The cumulative number of first-dose recipients reached 15,618,302. The first-dose vaccination rate relative to the population slightly increased to 30.4%. The number of fully vaccinated individuals increased by 65,958 from the previous day to 5,940,374, representing 11.6% of the population.

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