'1987 Myeong' Barely Below 2000... Weekly Average Confirmed Cases Still Rising

On the 11th, citizens waiting to be tested at the screening clinic of Yongsan-gu Public Health Center in Seoul are receiving guidance from medical staff. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea dropped back to the 1,000 range at 1,987 cases in one day. However, the number of confirmed cases has remained in the four-digit range for 37 consecutive days, with cases outside the metropolitan area increasing compared to the previous day.

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 1,987 from the previous day to 218,192. The sources of infection for the new cases were 1,947 local transmissions and 40 imported cases. Although the daily number of new cases slightly decreased from the previous day, the weekly average of local transmissions, a key indicator for adjusting social distancing levels, exceeded 1,700 for the first time at 1,727.3 cases.

By region, 1,201 cases, accounting for 61.7% of local transmissions, were reported in the metropolitan area. This is slightly lower than the 1,404 cases the previous day but still remains in the 1,000 range. The breakdown by region is Seoul 522 cases, Gyeonggi 570 cases, and Incheon 109 cases. The weekly average of local transmissions in the metropolitan area also reached a record high of 1,052.9 cases.

Cases outside the metropolitan area reached 746, marking the highest number since the 4th wave of the pandemic. The confirmed cases by region are as follows: Busan 128, Daegu 38, Gwangju 20, Daejeon 51, Ulsan 53, Sejong 11, Gangwon 41, Chungbuk 75, Chungnam 84, Jeonbuk 24, Jeonnam 27, Gyeongbuk 63, Gyeongnam 108, and Jeju 23.

There were 40 imported cases. Among them, 16 were detected during quarantine, and 24 were confirmed locally. Of these, 21 were Korean nationals and 19 were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 145,789. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 74,291 tests were conducted, confirming 401 new cases, while 20,655 tests were conducted at temporary screening clinics outside the metropolitan area, confirming 85 cases.

The death toll rose by 3 from the previous day to 2,138, and the number of critically ill patients decreased by 15 to 372.

Medical staff are administering vaccines at the Dongjak-gu Citizens' Sports Center, where the COVID-19 vaccination center for Dongjak-gu, Seoul, is set up.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 175,763 people received new COVID-19 vaccinations. The cumulative number of first-dose vaccinations reached 21,813,171, with a vaccination rate of 42.5% of the population. The breakdown by vaccine type is AstraZeneca (AZ) 28,232, Pfizer 141,031, and Moderna 6,500.

The number of people who completed vaccination increased by 162,616 from the previous day to 8,226,416. The vaccination rate for the second dose is 16.0% of the population. Among those who received the first dose of the AZ vaccine, 21,290 received the second dose of AZ, and 4,426 received a second dose of Pfizer as a cross-vaccination. An additional 136,297 people completed vaccination with Pfizer only, bringing the total to 4,908,808. Moderna also had 603 people receive the second dose.

Reports of suspected adverse reactions after vaccination increased by 4,425 over two days, totaling 133,037 cases. Reports by vaccine type include AZ 267, Pfizer 3,344, Janssen 12, and Moderna 802. The cumulative reporting rates of adverse reactions are AZ 0.67%, Pfizer 0.28%, Janssen 0.67%, and Moderna 0.57%.

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