COVID-19, 2,027 New Cases Nationwide by 6 PM... Possibility of Over 3,000 Cases in a Day Again

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Eun-mo] The spread of COVID-19 shows no signs of slowing down. On the 18th, new confirmed cases continued to emerge across the country, with the number of cases likely to reach the 3,000 range again that day.

According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, from midnight to 6 p.m. on the same day, a total of 2,027 new COVID-19 positive cases were reported nationwide. This figure represents the combined total from 16 of the 17 provinces and cities, excluding Busan, which does not release interim case counts. Compared to 1,992 confirmed cases reported at the same time the previous day, this is 35 more cases, and 449 more than the 1,578 cases reported at the same time a week earlier on the 11th.

Since there is still time until midnight when the final tally is closed, the number of new confirmed cases announced at 0:00 on the 19th is expected to increase further. The previous day saw an increase of 1,300 cases from the 6 p.m. count, closing at a final total of 3,292 cases. Given that the number of confirmed cases at 6 p.m. on the 18th exceeded that of the previous day, it is highly likely that the 0:00 count on the 19th will surpass 3,000, marking the third consecutive day in the 3,000 range.

The spread centered around the Seoul metropolitan area remains intense. Looking at the regions with confirmed cases by 6 p.m., the metropolitan area accounted for 1,634 cases (80.6%), while non-metropolitan areas accounted for 393 cases (19.4%). By city and province, the numbers are as follows: Seoul 985, Gyeonggi 496, Incheon 153, Gyeongnam 71, Jeonnam 46, Daegu 42, Gyeongbuk 41, Chungnam 40, Gangwon 36, Daejeon 32, Jeju 30, Gwangju 21, Jeonbuk 17, Chungbuk 15, Ulsan 2. Among the 16 provinces and cities reporting, Sejong has yet to report any confirmed cases.

The fourth domestic wave, which began in early July, has continued for over four months. From the 12th to the 18th, the daily new confirmed cases were 2,368 → 2,324 → 2,418 → 2,005 → 2,124 → 3,187 → 3,292, averaging about 2,531 cases per day. Excluding imported cases, the average daily number of locally transmitted cases is approximately 2,514.

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