New Confirmed Cases 2,419 'Increasing Trend'... 483 Severe Cases, Over 480 for Two Consecutive Days (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] As the phased recovery of daily life is implemented, the scale of COVID-19 spread is increasing, with the number of critically ill patients approaching 500. As severe cases rise, the number of deaths in double digits is occurring, and the number of new confirmed cases continues to increase.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) on the 14th, as of midnight, the number of critically ill patients was 483. This is 2 fewer than the previous day (485), which was the highest ever recorded, but still remains in the 480s.

The number of confirmed cases increased by 2,419, bringing the cumulative total to 395,460. The number of new confirmed cases rose by 94 compared to the previous day's count (2,325). For five consecutive days since the 10th (2,425 cases), the daily new cases have not fallen below 2,000. Compared to last Saturday (Sunday, the announcement date, the 7th), there are 195 more cases.

Since the phased recovery of daily life began on the 1st, quarantine guidelines have been relaxed, and social activities, mobility, and gatherings have increased, leading to a rising trend in daily confirmed cases. With colder weather causing more indoor activities and environments where ventilation is difficult, the spread of the epidemic is expected to continue. In particular, cases of worsening symptoms leading to critical illness are increasing, especially among confirmed cases aged 60 and over, who are considered vulnerable to infection.

The number of critically ill patients had set consecutive record highs since the 10th, when it reached 460. It increased to 473 on the 11th, 475 on the 12th, and 485 the previous day. On this day, it decreased by 2 to 483, temporarily halting the upward trend but still ranking as the second highest ever. The government maintains that the current medical system can stably respond to up to 500 critically ill patients, but with the number continuing to rise, only 17 patients remain before reaching this threshold.

Along with the increase in critically ill patients, deaths have also occurred daily in double digits. The number of COVID-19 deaths the previous day was 20. The cumulative death toll stands at 3,103, with an average fatality rate of 0.78%. On the 12th, the day before, there were 32 deaths, the highest since the fourth wave began in early July.

Regarding the infection routes of new confirmed cases on this day, 2,401 were locally transmitted and 18 were imported. Over the past week (November 8?14), the daily new confirmed cases were 1,758 → 1,715 → 2,425 → 2,520 → 2,368 → 2,325 → 2,419, averaging 2,219 cases per day. Excluding imported cases, the average daily local transmission cases are 2,200.

Looking at the number of new locally transmitted cases, Seoul had 969, Gyeonggi 797, and Incheon 155, totaling 1,921 cases (80.0%), continuing the spread centered in the metropolitan area. Non-metropolitan areas reported 480 cases (20.0%) including Busan 82, Daegu 72, Chungnam 53, Jeonbuk and Gyeongnam 44 each, Gyeongbuk 41, Gangwon 31, Chungbuk 27, Jeonnam 26, Gwangju 19, Daejeon 18, Jeju 14, Ulsan 7, and Sejong 2. Imported cases numbered 18, 4 more than the previous day (14).

Combining local and imported cases (excluding quarantine), the metropolitan area had 1,934 cases: Seoul 978, Gyeonggi 800, and Incheon 156. Confirmed cases were reported in all 17 cities and provinces nationwide. On the previous day, the number of suspected patient tests at screening clinics was 31,829, and tests at temporary screening clinics were 74,106, totaling 105,935 tests conducted in one day. Meanwhile, the CDCH excluded one case from the cumulative confirmed cases due to a misreporting incident confirmed in Jeonbuk the previous day.

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