2,223 Confirmed Cases... Fearful Commute

Over 2,000 Cases Per Day for the First Time
Record Highs in Both Capital and Non-Capital Regions

4th Wave Spreading... "Peak Not Yet Reached"
Self-Employed with Employees at All-Time Low

On the 11th, when the number of new COVID-19 cases reached 2,223, marking the first time in 568 days since the outbreak that cases exceeded 2,000, citizens wearing masks are seen moving at the Sejongno intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Chun-hee and Son Sun-hee (Sejong)] The number of new domestic COVID-19 cases has surpassed 2,000 for the first time ever, intensifying the momentum of the 4th wave. Both the metropolitan area and non-metropolitan area have recorded the highest number of confirmed cases since the 4th wave began, with cases surging rapidly, and pessimism is growing that the peak has not yet been reached.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 11th at midnight that the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases increased by 2,223 from the previous day to 216,206. This is more than 300 cases higher than the previous record of 1,895 on the 28th of last month. With 2,145 locally transmitted cases, the weekly average number of confirmed cases, a key indicator for adjusting social distancing levels, rose to 1,694.4.

The spread is rapidly increasing regardless of whether it is in the metropolitan or non-metropolitan areas. The number of locally transmitted cases in the metropolitan area reached 1,405, marking the first time it has exceeded 1,400. Seoul reported 650 cases and Gyeonggi 648, both surpassing 600 for the first time. The weekly average of locally transmitted cases also exceeded the level 4 social distancing threshold of 1,000, reaching 1,027.7. Currently, level 4 social distancing is in effect in the metropolitan area. Until now, this was a preventive measure, but it has now become the actual situation.

Non-metropolitan area cases also reached 740, the highest since the 4th wave began. There are concerns that this could surpass the 885 non-metropolitan cases recorded on February 29 during the 1st wave last year, when a large number of Shincheonji-related cases were confirmed in Daegu.

The problem is that the 4th wave is still spreading. The highly transmissible Delta variant has become dominant, and sporadic infections are occurring nationwide, leading to forecasts that the scale of the outbreak could exceed 4,000 cases in the future.

Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center expressed concern, saying, "It is highly likely that the 2,200 case level is not the peak. It could rise to 4,000 to 6,000 cases, and even 10,000 cases is not impossible." He added, "Considering the transmissibility of the Delta variant, the vaccination rate target should be raised to 85-90% of the population."

As the COVID-19 crisis prolongs, concerns about a renewed shock to the employment market are growing. According to the ‘July Employment Trends’ released by Statistics Korea on the same day, while the total number of employed persons increased last month, the number of employees in COVID-19 vulnerable sectors such as retail, wholesale, accommodation, and food services decreased. The number of self-employed persons with employees stood at 1,274,000, marking the lowest level ever again following last month.

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