1252 New COVID-19 Cases... Highest Ever Recorded on a Monday

On the 18th, citizens lined up in a long queue to get tested at the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea recorded 1,252. Due to the so-called 'weekend effect,' where the number of tests decreases on weekends, the figure dropped to the 1,200 range for the first time in six days, but it remains the first Monday since the outbreak with over 1,200 cases, showing that the spread is still intense.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 19th at midnight that the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases increased by 1,252 from the previous day to 179,203. The sources of new infections were 1,208 local transmissions and 44 imported cases.

Among the locally transmitted cases, 811 cases, accounting for 67%, occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area. This includes Seoul with 413 cases (34.2%), Gyeonggi with 336 cases (27.8%), and Incheon with 62 cases (5.1%).

Non-metropolitan area cases numbered 397, slightly down from 443 the previous day, but their proportion of total cases surged to 32.9%. By region, ▲Busan 63 ▲Daegu 31 ▲Gwangju 12 ▲Daejeon 83 ▲Ulsan 13 ▲Sejong 8 ▲Gangwon 27 ▲Chungbuk 4 ▲Chungnam 33 ▲Jeonbuk 10 ▲Jeonnam 16 ▲Gyeongbuk 17 ▲Gyeongnam 69 ▲Jeju 11 cases were confirmed.

There were 44 imported cases. Among them, 14 were detected during quarantine, and 30 were identified in the community. There were 23 Korean nationals and 21 foreigners. By country, the largest number was 13 arrivals from Indonesia, where the 'Delta variant (Indian variant)' is rapidly spreading. Among them, 5 were Korean nationals and 8 were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 68,789. Due to the holiday effect, the number of tests was about half compared to weekdays. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 36,938 tests were conducted, confirming 264 new cases, while 5,398 tests were conducted at non-metropolitan temporary screening clinics, confirming 15 cases.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 2,358 people received new COVID-19 vaccinations. The cumulative number of first-dose vaccinations reached 16,133,084. The vaccination rate relative to the population is 31.4%. All of these newly vaccinated individuals received the Pfizer vaccine. There were no new vaccinations for AstraZeneca (AZ), Moderna, or Janssen.

The number of people who completed vaccination increased by 446 from the previous day to 6,565,472. The population vaccination rate for the second dose is 12.8%. Among those who received the first dose of the AZ vaccine, 444 received a second dose as a cross-vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine. Additionally, 2 people completed vaccination with Pfizer vaccine only, bringing the total number of fully vaccinated individuals to 3,708,491. Moderna's additional vaccination interval has not yet arrived.

Reports of suspected adverse reactions after vaccination increased by 686 over two days, totaling 106,191 cases. Reports included 106 for AZ, 559 for Pfizer, 12 for Janssen, and 9 for Moderna. The cumulative adverse reaction reporting rates are 0.66% for AZ, 0.25% for Pfizer, 0.65% for Janssen, and 0.69% for Moderna.

Among the new reports, common adverse reactions such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea after vaccination accounted for 661 cases, making up the majority.

Serious adverse reactions included 2 suspected anaphylaxis cases and 21 additional reports of major neurological adverse reactions. Two deaths following vaccination were reported; one received the AZ vaccine and the other the Pfizer vaccine.

Regarding the first-dose AZ - second-dose Pfizer cross-vaccination ongoing this month, a total of 168 adverse reactions were additionally reported over two days, bringing the cumulative number to 1,249. The adverse reaction reporting rate is 0.19%. Among these, 166 were general adverse reactions, 1 suspected anaphylaxis case, and 1 major neurological adverse reaction were reported. Cross-vaccination adverse reactions are included in the Pfizer vaccine adverse reaction statistics.

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