COVID-19 New Cases 3,938... Severe and Critical Patients Exceed 600

On the 24th, medical staff are providing care in the intensive care unit of Pyeongtaek Bakae Hospital, a designated COVID-19 specialized hospital.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] On the 25th, the number of new COVID-19 cases was 3,938, slightly down from 4,115 the previous day but still maintaining the 3,000 range. The number of critically ill patients hospitalized was 612, surpassing 600.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country increased by 3,938 from the previous day to 429,002. Of these, 3,917 were domestic cases and 21 were imported. The weekly average of new locally transmitted cases is 3,255.9, showing a continuous upward trend.

By region, Seoul reported 1,757 cases, Incheon 259, and Gyeonggi 1,096, with the metropolitan area totaling 3,112 cases, accounting for 79.4% of the total.

Non-metropolitan area cases totaled 805, including ▲Busan 97 ▲Daegu 80 ▲Gwangju 35 ▲Daejeon 50 ▲Ulsan 13 ▲Sejong 20 ▲Gangwon 86 ▲Chungbuk 39 ▲Chungnam 110 ▲Jeonbuk 35 ▲Jeonnam 42 ▲Gyeongbuk 97 ▲Gyeongnam 72 ▲Jeju 29.

Among the 21 imported cases, 5 were detected during quarantine, and 16 were confirmed in the local community.

The number of critically ill patients hospitalized increased by 26 from the previous day to 612, marking a record high. The ICU bed occupancy rate nationwide has exceeded 70%, maintaining a dangerous level. As of 5 p.m. the previous day, 812 of the 1,135 dedicated ICU beds nationwide (71.5%) were in use. In particular, the metropolitan area shows occupancy rates of 85.5% in Seoul, 81.0% in Incheon, and 82.7% in Gyeonggi, with 583 of the 695 beds (83.9%) occupied. Considering the preparation work needed for beds during patient admission and discharge, this is effectively regarded as a 'depletion' state.

The death toll increased by 39 the previous day, bringing the total cumulative deaths to 3,401. The resulting fatality rate stands at approximately 0.79%.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 46,778 people received their first dose the previous day, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 42,369,348. The first-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 82.5%. Among those aged 18 and over, 93.3% have completed their first dose. The number of people who completed vaccination the previous day was 61,577, with a total of 40,695,921 having completed vaccination. The vaccination completion rate relative to the population is 79.3%, and 91.1% among those aged 18 and over.

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