COVID-19 New Cases 1,278... 'Again' Highest Tuesday Count

On the 19th, citizens waiting to get tested at the drive-thru screening site set up at the Simsang Memorial Culture Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea reached 1,278, pushing the total confirmed cases beyond 180,000. Amid the so-called 'weekend effect,' where testing numbers decrease over the weekend, the number of cases on Tuesday exceeded 1,200 for the first time since the outbreak, indicating a continuing spread.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 20th at midnight that the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases increased by 1,278 from the previous day to 180,481. Among the new cases, 1,242 were locally transmitted, and 36 were imported.

Of the locally transmitted cases, 833 cases, accounting for 67%, were reported in the Seoul metropolitan area. This includes 388 cases in Seoul (31.2%), 375 in Gyeonggi (30.2%), and 70 in Incheon (5.6%). The weekly average of locally transmitted cases, a key indicator for adjusting social distancing levels, reached 1,000.1, surpassing 1,000 for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak. The threshold for raising social distancing to Level 4 in the metropolitan area is 1,000 local cases.

There were 409 cases outside the metropolitan area. By region, the confirmed cases were: 49 in Busan, 29 in Daegu, 25 in Gwangju, 73 in Daejeon, 9 in Ulsan, 13 in Sejong, 41 in Gangwon, 44 in Chungbuk, 28 in Chungnam, 14 in Jeonbuk, 8 in Jeonnam, 13 in Gyeongbuk, 55 in Gyeongnam, and 8 in Jeju.

There were 36 imported cases. Among them, 7 were detected during quarantine, and 29 were identified in the community. Eighteen were Korean nationals, and eighteen were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 142,814. Although the number of tests decreased to 85,826 and 68,789 on the weekend days of the 17th and 18th, respectively, it recovered to around 130,000 tests during the weekdays of the previous week. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 87,313 tests were conducted, confirming 210 new cases, while 5,948 tests were conducted at temporary screening clinics outside the metropolitan area, confirming 7 cases.

On the 19th, when COVID-19 vaccinations began for high school seniors and staff, students are receiving vaccines at the vaccination center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 158,538 people received new COVID-19 vaccinations. The cumulative number of first-dose vaccinations reached 16,291,956, representing a vaccination rate of 31.7% of the population. By vaccine type, 431 received AstraZeneca (AZ), and 158,107 received Pfizer. There were no new vaccinations for Moderna or Janssen.

The number of people who completed vaccination increased by 46,093 from the previous day to 6,613,294. The second-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 12.9%. Among those who received the first dose of the AZ vaccine, 4,379 received the second dose of AZ, and 32,434 received a second dose of Pfizer as a mixed vaccination. Additionally, 8,462 people received a second dose of Pfizer only, bringing the total number of fully vaccinated individuals to 3,717,196. Moderna also saw 458 people complete their second dose. Janssen, developed as a single-dose vaccine, counts first-dose recipients as fully vaccinated simultaneously.

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