1508 People by 6 PM, 49 Fewer Than Yesterday... 1800s Expected Tomorrow

On the 9th, as the spread of COVID-19 continues mainly in the metropolitan area, citizens are waiting to get tested at the screening clinic of Mapo-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] As the spread of COVID-19 continues in South Korea, new confirmed cases were reported nationwide on the 10th as well.

According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, from midnight to 6 p.m. on that day, a total of 1,508 new COVID-19 positive cases were recorded nationwide. This is 49 fewer than the 1,557 cases reported at the same time the previous day. Compared to the mid-day tally of 1,494 cases last Friday (September 3), it is 14 more.

Looking at the regions where confirmed cases were reported, the metropolitan area accounted for 1,153 cases (76.5%), and non-metropolitan areas accounted for 355 cases (23.5%). By city and province, Seoul had 538 cases, Gyeonggi 490, Incheon 125, Chungnam 58, Daejeon 47, Daegu 38, Gyeongnam 36, Busan 32, Gyeongbuk 29, Gangwon 27, Chungbuk 26, Jeonnam 17, Ulsan 16, Jeonbuk 12, Gwangju 11, and Jeju 6. Confirmed cases were reported in 16 cities and provinces nationwide, excluding Sejong. Since there is still time until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases as of 0:00 on the 11th is expected to increase to the 1,800 range, possibly around 1,900. On the previous day, 335 cases were added after 6 p.m., closing at a final count of 1,892.

The fourth wave, which began in early July, has continued for over two months. In particular, the spread in the metropolitan area, where the population is concentrated, has intensified, with the proportion of confirmed cases in the metropolitan area reaching the mid-70% range as of the mid-day tally at 6 p.m. The daily confirmed cases have remained in four digits for 66 consecutive days since July 7 (1,211 cases), and the 11th will mark the 67th day. Looking at the new confirmed cases over the past week from the 4th of this month to the 10th, the daily counts were 1,803 → 1,490 → 1,375 → 1,597 → 2,048 → 2,049 → 1,892, averaging 1,751 cases per day. Among these, the average daily locally transmitted cases excluding imported cases is 1,720.

Recent major cluster outbreaks have been confirmed in various places such as markets, daycare centers, and academies. At the Garak Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market in Songpa-gu, Seoul, 61 confirmed cases were reported. Currently, a full inspection is underway for 930 market workers and others, with about 700 people still awaiting test results, indicating the possibility of a larger scale of infection. At a daycare center (second case) in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, 31 people, mainly children, were infected at once. In Daejeon Seo-gu, a total of 17 people, including 16 academy students and 1 staff member, tested positive related to a private academy for college entrance exam preparation. Additionally, cluster infections linked to schools continue to spread daily, including 33 cases at an elementary school in Asan, Chungnam, 15 cases at a middle school in Suncheon, Jeonnam, 50 cases at childcare and educational facilities in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, and 18 cases at a middle school in Wonju, Gangwon.

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