1273 New COVID-19 Cases Nationwide at 9 PM... 1400 Cases Expected on the 30th (Summary)

On the 29th, as the fourth wave continues with 1,619 new COVID-19 cases reported, citizens visiting the temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza are waiting to get tested. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] As the fourth wave of COVID-19 continues, confirmed cases were reported in all 17 cities and provinces nationwide on the 29th.

According to the quarantine authorities and local governments including Seoul City, from midnight to 9 p.m. on that day, a total of 1,273 new COVID-19 cases were recorded. This is 201 fewer than the 1,474 cases recorded at the same time the previous day. It is also 33 fewer than the 1,306 cases recorded at 9 p.m. last Sunday (22nd). The decrease in confirmed cases is analyzed to be due to the combined effect of reduced testing over the weekend and holidays.

By region, 782 cases (61.4%) occurred in the metropolitan area, and 491 cases (38.6%) in non-metropolitan areas. The breakdown is as follows: Seoul 420, Gyeonggi 299, Daegu 85, Incheon 63, Chungnam 60, Busan 57, Gyeongnam 47, Gyeongbuk 40, Chungbuk 34, Gwangju 30, Daejeon 29, Gangwon 27, Ulsan and Jeonbuk 24 each, Jeonnam 19, Jeju 12, and Sejong 3.

Since there is still time until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced at 0 a.m. on the 30th is expected to increase further to over 1,400. On the previous day, 145 cases were added after 9 p.m., closing at a final count of 1,619.

The fourth wave, which began in early last month centered on the metropolitan area, has recently spread to various non-metropolitan areas, showing a nationwide trend. The daily confirmed cases have remained in four digits for 54 consecutive days since the 7th of last month (1,211 cases). The 30th will mark the 55th day.

From the 22nd to the 28th, the number of new confirmed cases recorded daily were 1,417, 1,508, 2,154, 1,882, 1,841, 1,793, and 1,619, averaging about 1,745 cases per day. Excluding imported cases, the average daily locally transmitted cases were approximately 1,701.

Recent major cluster outbreaks have been confirmed in churches, multi-use facilities, construction sites, and other locations. Regarding a church in Dobong-gu, Seoul, since the first confirmed case on the 26th, a total of 16 people have tested positive. In Gyeonggi Province, a total of 17 people, including workers and users, were confirmed at a model house in Goyang City. In Yongin City, related to the second case at a construction site, a total of 14 people tested positive. At a quarantine supplies manufacturing company in Hwaseong City, a total of 21 people were infected.

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