COVID-19 New Cases 1,556, Highest on Sunday... Holiday Impact Under Watch (Comprehensive)

Local 1,493 Cases, Overseas 63 Cases, Total 225,481 Cases
Deaths Increase by 11, Total 2,167

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] As the spread of COVID-19 continues, the number of new confirmed cases on the 16th reached 1,556, marking the highest count for a Sunday.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of midnight on that day, 1,556 new confirmed cases were added, bringing the total to 225,481. This is 260 fewer than the previous day (1,816 cases, corrected from the initial 1,817), dropping to the 1,500 range for the first time in six days since the 10th (1,537 cases).

Although the number of confirmed cases decreased, it is difficult to say that the spread has been curbed. This is due to the reduced number of tests during the Liberation Day holiday. Looking at the trend of patient occurrences so far, the number of confirmed cases usually decreases in the early part of the week and then surges again from Wednesday.

In fact, the 1,556 cases on this day represent the highest number recorded for a Sunday. The previous highest Sunday count was 1,491 cases announced at midnight on the 9th, the Sunday of the previous week (the 8th), which is 65 fewer than this day. With the spread showing little sign of easing and nationwide mobility increasing during the Liberation Day holiday period, there are concerns that the scale of confirmed cases could grow even larger.

Among 1,493 Locally Transmitted Cases, 857 in the Capital Area, 57.4%

The fourth wave, which began in earnest centered on the capital area early last month, has recently spread to various non-capital regions, showing a nationwide pattern. The daily number of confirmed cases has remained in four digits for 41 consecutive days since the 7th of last month (1,212 cases).

Looking at the new confirmed cases reported over the past week from the 10th to this day, the daily counts were 1,537 → 2,222 → 1,987 → 1,990 → 1,928 (corrected from 1,930) → 1,816 → 1,556, with more than 1,500 cases reported each day. The daily average over the week was about 1,862 cases, with the average daily locally transmitted cases reaching approximately 1,797.

Regarding the infection routes of the new confirmed cases on this day, 1,493 were locally transmitted and 63 were imported cases. By region, the capital area accounted for a total of 857 cases (57.4%), including 392 in Gyeonggi, 355 in Seoul, and 110 in Incheon. The number of locally transmitted cases in the capital area had been in the 1,000 range for five consecutive days since the 11th but dropped to the 800 range on this day.

The non-capital regions reported a total of 636 cases (42.6%), including 125 in Busan, 84 in Gyeongnam, 75 in Gyeongbuk, 64 in Jeju, 44 in Daegu, 40 each in Gangwon and Chungnam, 37 in Chungbuk, 31 in Daejeon, 29 in Ulsan, 27 in Gwangju, 25 in Jeonnam, 12 in Jeonbuk, and 3 in Sejong. The proportion of non-capital region cases among all locally transmitted cases rose again to the 40% range on this day.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Severe and Critical Patients in the 300s for 17 Consecutive Days... Average Fatality Rate at 0.96%

There were 63 imported confirmed cases, 5 fewer than the previous day (68 cases). Among them, 31 were identified during quarantine at airports or ports. The remaining 32 tested positive while in self-quarantine at their residences or temporary living facilities in regions including Seoul (9 cases), Gyeonggi (4 cases), Chungnam and Jeonbuk (3 cases each), Busan, Gwangju, Ulsan, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam (2 cases each), and Daegu, Gangwon, and Jeju (1 case each).

The confirmed cases came from 21 countries, with 40 being Korean nationals and 23 foreigners. By country, Morocco accounted for the largest number with 22 cases, followed by Turkey with 8, Russia and Mongolia with 5 each, Kazakhstan with 4, the Philippines, Indonesia, and the United States with 2 each, and China, Uzbekistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Japan, Maldives, Georgia, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Bulgaria, Germany, and Mexico with 1 case each.

The number of deaths increased by 11 from the previous day, bringing the total to 2,167. The domestic average fatality rate stands at 0.96%. The number of severe and critical patients totaled 353, down by 21 from the previous day (374), but has remained above 300 for 17 consecutive days since the 31st of last month (317).

As of this day, 1,095 patients were released from isolation, bringing the cumulative total to 196,198, while the number of patients undergoing isolation treatment increased by 450 to a total of 27,116.

The number of tests conducted at screening clinics on the previous day for suspected cases, including close contacts of confirmed patients, was 28,059, which is 7,379 fewer than the 35,438 tests conducted the day before. It is also 23,255 fewer than the 51,314 tests conducted on the previous weekday. Separately, the number of tests conducted at temporary screening clinics nationwide was 57,856.

To date, a total of 12,372,777 COVID-19 diagnostic tests have been conducted domestically, of which 225,481 were positive and 11,552,071 were negative. The remaining 595,225 tests are awaiting results. The cumulative positivity rate as of midnight on this day is 1.82% (225,481 out of 12,372,777 tests).

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