Nearly 6,000 Patients Even on Holidays... 1,533 Waiting for Hospital Beds

Highest as of Sunday... 876 Severe Cases
29 Cluster Infections at Chungnam Prison
Omicron Spread Nationwide with 114 Cases

On the 13th, as the spread of COVID-19 continues, the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Plaza is crowded with citizens. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong, Legal Affairs Specialist Reporter Choi Seok-jin] Despite the holiday, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases approached 6,000. With the increase in Omicron variant infections and the occurrence of cluster infections in places such as prisons, the number of confirmed cases is expected to continue spreading this week.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 13th, as of midnight, the number of domestic COVID-19 confirmed cases was 5,817, marking the highest number for a Sunday case count (announced on Monday). The number of critically ill patients was 876, maintaining the 800s range for six consecutive days.

As the shortage of hospital beds in the metropolitan area worsened, the number of patients waiting for bed allocation for more than one day in the metropolitan area increased to a total of 1,533. Among them, 514 (33.5%) were elderly aged 70 or older, many of whom have underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. The number of patients receiving home treatment also surged to 24,439.

The number of Omicron variant infections increased by 24 to 114. Through secondary infections originating from an Incheon church and gatherings, the spread extended to the metropolitan area as well as Chungbuk, Jeonbuk, and Jeonnam provinces. The number of people classified by health authorities as epidemiologically related to Omicron reached 123, indicating that infections are expected to increase further.

A cluster infection occurred at Hongseong Prison located in Hongseong, Chungnam. A total of 29 people, including 26 inmates and 3 staff members, tested positive. Among them, the staff and 15 inmates had completed their second vaccination dose, while the remaining 11 inmates were reported to be unvaccinated. Close contacts of the confirmed cases are being cohort-isolated within Hongseong Prison, and the remaining approximately 200 unconfirmed inmates are scheduled to be transferred to other correctional facilities as early as today.

Kwon Deok-cheol, the first head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said, "If the spread of infection continues, an emergency situation that cannot be handled with the existing response capacity may occur," adding, "If it is judged that reversing the crisis situation is difficult, we will have no choice but to strengthen quarantine measures to protect the lives of the people."

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