New COVID-19 Cases at 1,600s Due to Weekend Effect... Government Says "Several Challenges Ahead" (Update)

On the 1st, when the phased daily recovery (With Corona) was officially implemented, a sign indicating 24-hour operation was posted at a restaurant in Seoul city. From this day, up to 10 people can gather in the metropolitan area, and up to 12 people in non-metropolitan areas, and most facilities such as restaurants and cafes are allowed to operate 24 hours./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] On the first day of the implementation of 'gradual daily recovery' on the 1st, the number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea recorded in the 1600s. The number of confirmed cases slightly decreased due to a reduction in testing over the weekend.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of midnight on the day, 1,686 new domestic COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 366,386. Of these, 1,666 were domestic cases and 20 were imported cases.

By region, Seoul reported 639 cases, Gyeonggi 560 cases, and Incheon 127 cases, totaling 1,326 cases (79.6%) in the metropolitan area.

Non-metropolitan areas reported 340 cases (20.4%), including Daegu 57, Busan 55, Gyeongnam 50, Chungnam 46, Gyeongbuk and Jeonbuk 26 each, Chungbuk 21, Jeonnam 17, Gangwon 13, Ulsan 12, Daejeon 9, Gwangju 4, and Sejong and Jeju 2 each.

Among the 20 imported cases, 5 were detected during quarantine, and the remaining 15 were confirmed in the local community. Fourteen were Korean nationals and six were foreigners.

The death toll increased by 9 the previous day, bringing the total deaths to 2,858, with a fatality rate of 0.78%. The number of critically ill patients is 343.

On the 1st day of the implementation of Step 1 of the phased daily recovery, citizens are seen commuting to work wearing masks at Sindorim Station in Guro-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 2,736 people received their first dose the previous day, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 41,138,792. The vaccination rate for the first dose among the population is 80.1%. Among those aged 18 and over, 92.2% have completed the first dose.

The number of people who completed vaccination the previous day was 20,354, bringing the total to 38,681,202, with a vaccination completion rate of 75.3% of the population.

From October 31 to November 1 at midnight, 2,416 new cases suspected of adverse reactions after COVID-19 vaccination were reported.

There were 7 new suspected anaphylaxis cases, 23 major adverse reaction cases including neurological symptoms, and 1 new death case reported.

Kwon Deok-cheol, the 1st Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), said in his opening remarks at the Central Disaster Management Headquarters meeting held at the Government Sejong Complex, "The path of daily recovery we are taking from today is an unknown path we have never walked before," adding, "We expect there will be several challenges ahead as before."

He explained that the risk factors experts mention include the spread of infection due to indoor activities in winter, the presence of unvaccinated individuals and waning immunity among previously vaccinated people, and year-end and New Year gatherings.

Deputy Head Kwon said, "Based on the civic awareness shown at every critical moment so far, we intend to proceed cautiously but steadily," and urged the public to practice three key prevention measures: wearing masks, ventilating indoor spaces regularly, and promptly getting tested if symptoms appear.

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