'With Corona' After 10 Days... Record High of 460 Severe and Critical Patients

Total Deaths Surpass 3,000

New Confirmed Cases Increase by 710 to 2,425 Compared to Previous Day
However, Down by 242 Compared to Last Wednesday... 17-Day Consecutive Rise Ends

On the 9th, citizens lined up to get tested at the temporary COVID-19 screening site set up at Cheongnyangni Station Plaza in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] On the 10th day since the implementation of "gradual daily recovery (With Corona)," the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients hospitalized reached a record high of 460. However, the daily new confirmed cases decreased to 2,425, showing a decline compared to the previous week for the first time in 17 days.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight, the number of critically ill patients currently hospitalized increased by 35 from the previous day to 460, marking an all-time high. This figure is 26 more than the previous record of 434 on August 25, during the peak of the 4th wave.

The utilization rate of intensive care unit (ICU) beds is also rising rapidly. As of 5 p.m. the previous day, 641 out of 1,121 ICU beds nationwide, or 57.2%, were in use. This is a continuous increase compared to one week ago on the 2nd, when 512 out of 1,111 beds (46.1%) were occupied. In particular, the metropolitan area shows high utilization rates: Seoul at 71.3%, Incheon at 73.4%, and Gyeonggi at 68.4%, with 484 out of 687 beds (70.5%) in use.

The total number of new domestic COVID-19 cases increased by 2,425 to reach 385,831. Of these, 2,409 were domestic cases and 16 were imported. The daily new cases increased by 710 compared to 1,715 the previous day. However, compared to 2,667 cases on the same day of the previous week, October 3, there was a decrease of 242 cases. The 17-day consecutive weekly increase compared to the previous week, which started on the 24th of last month, ended. The weekly average of locally transmitted cases also decreased to 2,148.6 from 2,181.6 the previous day.

By region, the metropolitan area accounted for 1,989 cases, or 82.6%, with Seoul reporting 967, Incheon 159, and Gyeonggi 863 cases.

Non-metropolitan cases totaled 420, distributed as follows: Busan 73, Daegu 33, Gwangju 22, Daejeon 23, Ulsan 5, Sejong 4, Gangwon 23, Chungbuk 31, Chungnam 57, Jeonbuk 35, Jeonnam 7, Gyeongbuk 36, Gyeongnam 60, and Jeju 11.

Among the 16 imported cases, 3 were detected during quarantine, and 13 were confirmed in the local community.

The death toll increased by 14 the previous day, bringing the total cumulative deaths to 3,012, surpassing 3,000. However, the fatality rate remains steady at around 0.78%.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 45,537 people received their first dose the previous day, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 41,686,843. The first-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 81.2%, with 92.7% of those aged 18 and over having completed their first dose. The number of people who completed vaccination the previous day was 125,011, totaling 39,626,034 fully vaccinated individuals. The full vaccination rate relative to the population is 77.2%, and 89.6% among those aged 18 and over.

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