Nationwide Confirmed Cases Near 2,000 Again... 1,941 Cases Reported by 9 PM

522 More Cases Than Same Time Previous Day
Record High of 790 Cases in Seoul Alone

Despite the decrease in testing volume over the weekend, the number of new COVID-19 cases reached 1,755 on the 12th. At the walk-in screening clinic installed at the Garak Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market in Songpa-gu, Seoul, where cases have been continuously reported, market vendors and citizens are lining up to get tested. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the spread of COVID-19 intensifies further, confirmed cases are rapidly emerging across the country. In particular, the number of confirmed cases in Seoul has reached an all-time high, showing a sharp increase in patients in the metropolitan area.

According to the quarantine authorities on the 14th, from midnight to 9 p.m. that day, a total of 1,941 new confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide. This is 522 more than the 1,419 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

Compared to the figure of 1,859 cases recorded by 9 p.m. on the same day of the week a week ago (September 7), it is 82 more. The number of confirmed cases, which seemed to temporarily decrease due to a drop in testing over the past weekend, has returned to a rapid increase.

By midnight, when the tally closes, the number of confirmed cases is expected to increase further, reaching at least the 2,000s and possibly as high as the 2,100s.

Looking at the regions where confirmed cases were reported that day, the metropolitan area accounted for 1,552 cases, or 80% of the total, while non-metropolitan areas accounted for 389 cases, or 20%.

By city and province, Seoul reported 790 cases, Gyeonggi 600, Incheon 162, Chungnam 78, Busan 41, Gwangju 38, Daejeon and Chungbuk 35 each, Ulsan 31, Gyeongnam 28, Daegu 27, Gangwon 24, Gyeongbuk 22, Jeonbuk 14, Jeju 6, and Sejong and Jeonnam 5 each. In Seoul, the number has already surpassed the 677 cases recorded on the 24th of last month, setting a new record.

The authorities are concerned that the resurgence of COVID-19 in the metropolitan area could spread to non-metropolitan areas during the Chuseok holiday period.

The daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases has remained in the four digits for 70 consecutive days since July 7, when it was 1,211. Looking at the new confirmed cases reported over the past week from the 8th to that day, the daily average was 1,791 cases, of which the average daily number of locally transmitted cases excluding imported cases was about 1,757.

Major infection cases on that day included cluster infections related to workplaces, kindergartens, schools, and private academies.

At a workplace in Jongno-gu, Seoul (6th case), a total of 12 people tested positive after the first confirmed case on the 10th. Another workplace in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul (8th case), has so far reported a total of 14 infections. In Gyeonggi, 17 people were confirmed in connection with an English academy in Ansan City, and 14 people were confirmed in connection with a daycare center (2nd case) in Bucheon City.

In Busan, 8 people at a kindergarten in Buk-gu and 6 people at a middle school in Jin-gu tested positive. At a nightlife establishment in Nam-gu, Ulsan, a total of 13 people including employees, patrons, acquaintances, and family members have tested positive and are undergoing treatment since the 31st of last month.

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