New COVID-19 Cases Stay in the 1,600s for Two Consecutive Days... Non-Capital Region Accounts for Nearly 30% (Update)

Local Cases 1,555, Imported Cases 45

On the 14th, when the highest record was broken with 1,615 new COVID-19 confirmed cases, citizens who visited the screening clinic set up at the Gangnam-gu Public Health Center in Seoul were 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 1,600 range for two consecutive days. As the outbreak spreads to non-metropolitan areas, the proportion of cases outside the metropolitan area is approaching 30% of the total confirmed cases.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced on the 15th at midnight that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 1,600 from the previous day to 173,511. The infection routes were recorded as 1,555 local transmissions and 45 imported cases.

The number of locally transmitted cases in the metropolitan area exceeded 1,000 for two consecutive days. There were 518 cases in Seoul, 491 in Gyeonggi, and 89 in Incheon, totaling 1,098 cases in the metropolitan area, accounting for 70.6% of the total. However, compared to the previous day, the number of confirmed cases in the metropolitan area decreased by about 100.

On the other hand, the spread in non-metropolitan areas continues to show an unstable pattern. Gyeongnam reported the highest number of new cases among non-metropolitan regions with 86, due to cluster infections in entertainment facilities. This was followed by Busan with 63 cases, Daejeon 59, Chungnam 51, Daegu 50, Jeonnam 26, Gangwon 24, Jeonbuk 23, Gwangju 21, Ulsan 18, Gyeongbuk 13, Chungbuk 12, Jeju 9, and Sejong 2. The proportion of cases in non-metropolitan areas rose significantly to 29.4% compared to 24.8% the previous day.

The number of imported cases was recorded at 45. Among them, 28 were detected during quarantine, and 17 were confirmed locally. Fourteen were Korean nationals and 31 were foreigners. By country, Indonesia, where the Delta variant originating from India is spreading, reported the highest number of 19 cases, of which 13 were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted that day exceeded 130,000. The number of suspected case tests was 51,597, with 78,426 tests conducted at temporary screening centers in the metropolitan area, and 7,995 tests at temporary screening centers in non-metropolitan areas. Notably, 331 cases were confirmed at metropolitan temporary screening centers, and 20 cases were confirmed in non-metropolitan areas as well.

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 111,631 people received their first dose of vaccination. After maintaining a level of around 30,000 recently, the number of new vaccinations increased, bringing the cumulative number of first doses administered to 15,836,992. The first-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 30.8%. The number of fully vaccinated individuals increased by 102,000 from the previous day to 6,183,732, accounting for 12% of the population.

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