681 Confirmed Cases in Seoul by 6 PM... Highest Ever for Same Time Slot

On the 23rd, when 1,716 new COVID-19 cases were reported, maintaining the 1,700 range for three consecutive days, citizens visiting the temporary screening clinic set up at Sinchon Station in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, are waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Seoul city announced that the number of new COVID-19 cases in Seoul was preliminarily counted at 681 from midnight to 6 p.m. on Thursday the 23rd, a period of 18 hours. Among them, 2 cases were imported from overseas, and the remaining 679 were domestic infections.

Compared to the same time frame, this is 56 more than last Thursday (the 16th), which was the highest ever at 625 cases, and a sharp increase of 151 cases compared to the previous day (the 22nd) with 530 cases. The final daily total was 746 cases on the 16th and 645 cases on the 22nd.

The daily number of confirmed cases in Seoul had stayed in the high 600s for six consecutive days from the 7th to the 11th of this month, then surged to a record high of 808 cases on the 14th. After that, it remained in the 700s for four consecutive days from the 15th to the 18th, briefly dropped to the 500s on the 19th, and then recorded the 600s for three consecutive days from the 20th to the 22nd.

During the recent Chuseok holiday period, the number of daily tests decreased to between 30,000 and 50,000 until the 21st, but surged to 81,599 tests on the last day of the holiday, the 22nd. This increase in testing is interpreted as the cause of the surge in confirmed cases on the 23rd, reflecting the test results.

Additional confirmed cases from major cluster infections include 86 cases at Garak Market in Songpa-gu, 14 cases at Jungbu Market in Jung-gu, 3 cases at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital in Yongsan-gu, and 1 case at a public institution in Gangseo-gu. The cumulative number of confirmed cases from the Garak Market cluster in Songpa-gu has increased to 486.

Among cases not managed as cluster infections, 275 were confirmed contacts of previous cases, and 292 cases are under investigation due to unclear infection routes.

As of 6 p.m. on the 23rd, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Seoul was preliminarily counted at 94,502. The final total number of confirmed cases for the day will be compiled based on data as of midnight on the 24th and announced in the morning.

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