7,622 New COVID-19 Cases... 989 Critically Ill Patients, Highest Ever Recorded

Omicron Infections Increase by 20 to Total 148
Nationwide ICU Bed Occupancy Rate at 81.4% as of 5 PM Previous Day

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The number of new COVID-19 cases has remained in the 7,000 range for two consecutive days, indicating that the spread continues. The number of critically ill patients increased by 25 from the previous day, reaching a record high of 989.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 16th at midnight that there were 7,622 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 544,117. Of these, 7,591 were domestic cases and 31 were imported cases. Compared to the previous day’s record high of 7,850 new cases, the number of confirmed cases as of midnight decreased by 228, but the spread remains severe.

By region, the Seoul metropolitan area recorded 3,057 cases in Seoul, 511 in Incheon, and 2,152 in Gyeonggi. Non-metropolitan areas reported ▲Busan 346 ▲Daegu 158 ▲Gwangju 44 ▲Daejeon 129 ▲Ulsan 76 ▲Sejong 28 ▲Gangwon 148 ▲Chungbuk 149 ▲Chungnam 177 ▲Jeonbuk 150 ▲Jeonnam 58 ▲Gyeongbuk 208 ▲Gyeongnam 199 ▲Jeju 29. Additionally, 3 cases were confirmed through quarantine.

The number of critically ill patients increased by 25 from the previous day, reaching a record high of 989. The number of critically ill patients first exceeded 900 on the 14th, when it reached 906. The number of deaths increased by 62, bringing the total to 4,518. The fatality rate stands at 0.83%.

The number of people infected with the new Omicron variant increased by 20 from the previous day, totaling 148. Among the new confirmed cases, 4 were imported cases: 3 from the United States and 1 from Nigeria. The remaining 16 were infected domestically.

As of midnight, the number of patients under home treatment was identified as 27,680. By region, Seoul had 12,462, Incheon 2,034, and Gyeonggi 8,254. In non-metropolitan areas, the numbers were Busan 1,252, Daegu 416, Gwangju 85, Daejeon 315, Ulsan 132, Sejong 20, Gangwon 418, Chungbuk 88, Chungnam 355, Jeonbuk 289, Jeonnam 147, Gyeongbuk 697, Gyeongnam 486, and Jeju 230.

As of 5 p.m. the previous day, the nationwide intensive care unit (ICU) bed occupancy rate was 81.4%, with the metropolitan area operating at 87% of its 837 beds. Seoul and Incheon had occupancy rates of 89.8% and 89.4%, respectively, meaning virtually all available beds are in use. Some regions have all beds fully occupied; for example, Gyeongbuk recorded a 100% bed occupancy rate.

As of midnight, among those waiting for bed allocation, 771 were waiting for hospitalization and 261 were waiting for admission to life treatment centers. In non-metropolitan areas, there was 1 person waiting for hospitalization for more than one day.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, as of midnight, 86,431 people received their first dose, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 43,197,555. The first-dose vaccination rate relative to the population is 84.1%. Among those aged 18 and over and those aged 60 and over, 94.4% and 93.8% have completed their first dose, respectively. The number of new second-dose vaccinations was 56,755, totaling 41,871,536, and new third-dose vaccinations were 908,452, totaling 8,866,898.

Meanwhile, on the previous day, the total number of vaccinations administered by 5 p.m. reached 1,010,797, with over one million people participating. However, this is not the highest ever. The record was set on September 6, when 1,379,315 second doses were administered, with daily vaccinations around one million at that time. Since the second-dose vaccination rate exceeded 70%, daily vaccinations have significantly decreased.

Subsequently, health authorities have expanded promotion of the third dose by shortening the interval between doses and focusing on third-dose vaccinations for those aged 60 and over. Additionally, increased participation in first and second doses among adolescents has led to a recent surge in vaccinations, with 927,113 people vaccinated on the 13th, indicating a significant recent increase in vaccination numbers.

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