COVID-19 New Cases 1,418... Decrease Due to 'Weekend Effect'

On the 20th, citizens are waiting for testing at the Jung-gu temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] On the 23rd, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases was 1,418, marking the first time in six days that the count fell below 1,500. Although the number of confirmed cases remains above 1,000, the upward trend appears to have somewhat slowed compared to the previous week.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters reported that as of midnight, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases increased by 1,418 from the previous day to reach 237,782. Among the new cases, 1,370 were locally transmitted and 48 were imported.

Of the locally transmitted cases, 61.8%, or 847 cases, were reported in the Seoul metropolitan area: 383 in Seoul, 392 in Gyeonggi, and 72 in Incheon.

There were 523 cases outside the metropolitan area. By region, the confirmed cases were as follows: 63 in Busan, 52 in Daegu, 33 in Gwangju, 30 in Daejeon, 37 in Ulsan, 11 in Sejong, 26 in Gangwon, 42 in Chungbuk, 65 in Chungnam, 36 in Jeonbuk, 10 in Jeonnam, 34 in Gyeongbuk, 52 in Gyeongnam, and 32 in Jeju.

There were 48 imported cases, with 20 detected during quarantine and 28 confirmed in the community. Among them, 25 were Korean nationals and 23 were foreigners.

The total number of tests conducted the previous day was 81,737. Due to the holiday effect, the number of tests was about half compared to weekdays. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 38,808 tests were conducted, and 13,242 people were tested at temporary screening clinics outside the metropolitan area.

The COVID-19 vaccination center set up at the Health Healing Culture Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on the 21st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, as of midnight, 39,272 people received new COVID-19 vaccinations. The cumulative number of first-dose vaccinations reached 25,916,850, representing a vaccination rate of 50.5% of the population. Among the newly vaccinated, 651 received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, 25,793 received Pfizer, and 12,828 received Moderna vaccines.

The number of people who completed vaccination increased by 2,241 from the previous day to 11,565,121. The population vaccination rate for the second dose is 22.5%. Among those who received the first dose of the AZ vaccine, 1,774 received their second dose with AZ, and 422 with Pfizer. Additionally, 44 people received a second dose of Pfizer only, and 1 person completed the second dose with Moderna.

Reports of suspected adverse reactions following vaccination increased by 1,923 over two days, totaling 153,752 cases. Reports included 442 for AZ, 1,062 for Pfizer, 1 for Janssen, and 418 for Moderna. The cumulative adverse reaction reporting rates are 0.56% for AZ, 0.31% for Pfizer, 0.68% for Janssen, and 0.35% for Moderna.

Among the newly reported cases, 1,877 were common adverse reactions such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea, which are typical after vaccination and accounted for the majority.

Serious adverse reactions included 3 suspected anaphylaxis cases and 38 additional reports of major neurological and other serious reactions. There were also reports of deaths following vaccination: 3 with AZ, 1 with Pfizer, and 1 with Moderna.

Regarding the heterologous vaccination program started last month, where the first dose is AZ and the second dose is Pfizer, a total of 107 additional adverse reactions were reported over two days, bringing the cumulative total to 3,589. The adverse reaction reporting rate for this combination is 0.30%. Among the newly reported reactions, 106 were common adverse reactions, and 1 was a major adverse reaction. Adverse reactions from heterologous vaccination are included in the Pfizer vaccine adverse reaction statistics.

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