New COVID-19 Cases Over 2,000 for Two Consecutive Days... Metropolitan Area Level 4 Restrictions Extended for 2 More Weeks

Amid the unrelenting spread of COVID-19, citizens are waiting for testing at the Jung-gu temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza on the 20th, where the government decided to extend the current social distancing measures for two more weeks. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea reached 2,052, marking the first time ever that the daily count has exceeded 2,000 for two consecutive days. Health authorities decided to extend the current high-intensity social distancing measures?Level 4 in the metropolitan area and Level 3 in non-metropolitan areas?for another two weeks, citing the spread of the Delta variant and increased public mobility as reasons why the outbreak is not yet under control.

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 rose by 2,052 from the previous day to 232,859. Of the new cases, 2,001 were locally transmitted and 51 were imported. The weekly average of locally transmitted cases, a key indicator for adjusting social distancing levels, stood at 1,757.4.

By region, 1,299 cases, accounting for 64.9% of local transmissions, were reported in the metropolitan area. Specifically, Seoul reported 549 cases, Gyeonggi 633 cases, and Incheon 117 cases. The weekly average number of cases in the metropolitan area reached a record high of 1,094.0.

In non-metropolitan areas, 702 cases were confirmed: 131 in Busan, 39 in Daegu, 22 in Gwangju, 58 in Daejeon, 28 in Ulsan, 13 in Sejong, 26 in Gangwon, 44 in Chungbuk, 71 in Chungnam, 39 in Jeonbuk, 23 in Jeonnam, 64 in Gyeongbuk, 88 in Gyeongnam, and 56 in Jeju.

There were 51 imported cases, of which 13 were detected during quarantine and 38 were identified in the community. Among them, 24 were Korean nationals and 27 were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 158,102. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 93,047 tests were performed, while 16,750 people were tested at temporary screening clinics in non-metropolitan areas.

The death toll rose by 6 from the previous day to 2,197, while the number of critically ill patients decreased by 5 to 385.

On the 9th, a high school senior is receiving a COVID-19 vaccine at the vaccination center set up at Nowon-gu Community Sports Center in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 501,043 people received new COVID-19 vaccinations. The cumulative number of first-dose vaccinations reached 24,812,397, representing a vaccination rate of 48.3% of the population. Among the new vaccinations, 33,772 were AstraZeneca (AZ), 289,317 were Pfizer, and 177,954 were Moderna.

The number of people who completed vaccination increased by 292,232 from the previous day to 11,106,027. The second-dose vaccination rate relative to the population was 21.6%. Among those who received the first dose of the AZ vaccine, 238,223 received their second dose with AZ, and 33,931 received a second dose with Pfizer as a cross-vaccination. An additional 20,045 people completed their vaccination with Pfizer only, bringing the total number of fully vaccinated individuals to 5,313,150. Additionally, 33 people received their second dose of Moderna.

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