COVID-19 New Cases 1,497... Continued Spread in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (Update)

On the 13th, citizens are waiting for testing at the COVID-19 screening clinic in front of Seongbuk-gu Office. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Sojeong] The number of new domestic COVID-19 cases in South Korea dropped below 1,500 for the second consecutive day on the 14th, recording 1,497 cases, but the spread centered in the Seoul metropolitan area remains unabated.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of midnight on the 14th, 1,497 new domestic COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 275,910 (including 14,003 imported cases). Of these, 1,463 were domestic transmissions and 34 were imported.

By region, Seoul reported 529 cases, Gyeonggi 454, and Incheon 124, totaling 1,107 cases in the metropolitan area, accounting for 75.7%. The proportion of cases occurring in the metropolitan area has remained in the 70% range daily, indicating that the outbreak is not subsiding.

Non-metropolitan areas reported a total of 356 cases (24.3%), including Chungnam 57, Daejeon 40, Busan 38, Ulsan 35, Gwangju 34, Daegu 26, Gangwon, Gyeongnam, and Chungbuk each 21, Sejong 19, Jeonbuk 17, Gyeongbuk 14, Jeju 12, and Jeonnam 1.

Among the 24 imported cases, 6 were identified during quarantine, and the remaining 28 were confirmed in the local community. There were 12 domestic nationals and 22 foreigners. Fifteen cases were confirmed from Asian countries excluding China.

The death toll increased by 7 the previous day, totaling 2,367, with a fatality rate of 0.86%. The number of critically ill patients is 340.

The number of newly released from isolation increased by 2,142, bringing the total to 247,647.

The number of suspected cases tested was 54,488, and 96,724 tests were conducted at temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, resulting in 254 confirmed cases. In non-metropolitan temporary screening clinics, 14,566 tests were conducted, identifying 66 confirmed cases. The total number of tests conducted was 165,778.

On the 13th, citizens who received the COVID-19 vaccine at the vaccination center in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, are waiting in the adverse reaction monitoring area. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 825,438 people received their first dose the previous day, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 33,979,519. The vaccination rate for the first dose relative to the population is 66.2%.

On the same day, 422,119 people completed their vaccination, bringing the total number of fully vaccinated individuals to 20,485,521. The vaccination rate for full vaccination relative to the population is 39.9%.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum expressed concern about the recent spread of COVID-19 during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters held at the Government Seoul Office, stating, "The number of confirmed cases has increased for five consecutive weeks, and recently, nearly 80% of the daily average confirmed cases are coming from the metropolitan area."

Prime Minister Kim said, "Yesterday, the first-dose vaccination rate exceeded 66%, and achieving 70% within this week is expected," and urged, "The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency should work with local governments to provide detailed explanations of behavioral guidelines and necessary information to vaccine recipients who experience unexpected symptoms and feel anxious."

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