COVID-19 Severe Cases and Deaths Both Reach Record Highs... Cumulative Deaths Surpass 5,000 (Update)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The number of severe and fatal COVID-19 cases in South Korea has reached an all-time high.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced on the 23rd at midnight that the total cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country increased by 6,919 from the previous day to 589,978. There were 6,856 domestic cases and 63 imported cases.

By region, Seoul reported 2,695 cases, Gyeonggi 1,929 cases, and Incheon 420 cases, totaling 5,044 cases (73.6%), indicating that the spread remains concentrated in the metropolitan area.

Non-metropolitan areas reported a total of 1,812 cases (26.4%), including Busan 432, Gyeongnam 200, Chungnam 180, Daegu 167, Jeonbuk 149, Gyeongbuk 134, Daejeon 133, Gangwon 120, Chungbuk 85, Jeonnam 68, Gwangju 66, Ulsan 43, Sejong 18, and Jeju 17.

Among the 63 imported cases, 6 were detected during quarantine, and 57 were confirmed within the local community.

The number of severe cases currently hospitalized reached 1,083, marking another record high.

The death toll increased by 109 from the previous day, bringing the total cumulative deaths to 5,015. This is also the highest ever, with deaths exceeding triple digits for the first time. The resulting fatality rate stands at 0.85%.

There were 12 additional Omicron variant infections, with 8 imported and 4 domestic cases, bringing the total confirmed infections to 246 so far.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team, 89,757 people received their first dose yesterday, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 43,799,357. The vaccination rate for the first dose relative to the population is 85.3%, with 95.1% of those aged 18 and over having completed their first dose.

Yesterday, 38,216 people completed their second dose, bringing the total number of fully vaccinated individuals to 42,219,818. The vaccination rate for the second dose relative to the population is 82.2%, and 92.8% for those aged 18 and over.

The number of people who received the third dose (booster) yesterday was 590,569, with a total of 13,709,545 having received the third dose.

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