As of 12 AM on the 9th, 1,953 New Confirmed Cases... Below 2,000 for the First Time in 4 Days

Concerns Grow Over Spread Due to Hangul Day Holiday

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The number of new COVID-19 cases has reached the mid-1900s. Although it dropped below 2,000 for the first time in four days, concerns about the spread remain due to the overlapping Hangul Day holiday.

On the 9th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that 1,953 new cases were confirmed as of 12 a.m. that day. The total cumulative number of confirmed cases is 329,925.

The number of new cases decreased by 222 from 2,175 the previous day, falling below 2,000 for the first time in four days. However, since the number of new cases still hovers around 2,000, it is difficult to say the spread is slowing down. The number of new cases has been in the four digits for 95 consecutive days since July 7. In particular, there are concerns that the spread could increase further due to outings and travel crowds during the Hangul Day holiday from the 9th to the 11th.

The number of new cases over the past week from the 3rd to the 9th was 2,085 → 1,671 → 1,574 → 2,027 → 2,425 → 2,175 → 1,953. This means an average of 1,987 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 daily over the week.

Among the new cases on this day, 1,924 were locally transmitted, and 29 were imported. The average number of locally transmitted cases over the week is about 1,962. The daily average of local cases fell below 2,000 for the first time in 15 days since the 24th of last month.

By region, the confirmed cases were 707 in Seoul, 629 in Gyeonggi, and 131 in Incheon, with 1,467 cases (76.2%) concentrated in the metropolitan area. Non-metropolitan areas reported 457 cases (23.8%) in total, including 71 in Gyeongnam, 64 in Chungbuk, 54 in Chungnam, 50 in Daegu, 38 in Gyeongbuk, 30 each in Busan and Daejeon, 28 in Gangwon, 26 in Jeju, 19 in Jeonbuk, 17 in Gwangju, 14 in Jeonnam, 12 in Ulsan, and 4 in Sejong.

The death toll increased by 6 from the previous day, totaling 2,560. The domestic average fatality rate stands at about 0.78%. The number of critically ill patients rose by 7 from 377 to 384.

The number of tests conducted at screening clinics the previous day was 43,677, down by 4,548 from 48,225 the day before. Separately, the number of tests conducted at temporary screening centers nationwide was 100,973.

As of midnight on this day, the cumulative positivity rate in the country is 2.21%. Out of 14,925,875 people tested, 329,925 were confirmed positive.

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