Severe COVID-19 Cases Drop to 800s After 24 Days... 4,126 New Confirmed Cases

Amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and continued downturn in the construction industry, day laborers are gathering at the labor market near Namguro Station in Guro-gu, Seoul, in the early morning of the 6th to find work. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The number of severe COVID-19 cases in South Korea dropped to the 800s for the first time in 24 days.

On the 6th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of midnight, 4,126 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total cumulative cases to 653,792. The number of new cases decreased by 318 compared to the previous day and dropped by 908 compared to a week ago on the 30th of last month (5,034 cases).

Notably, the number of severe cases recorded 882 on this day, falling into the 800s for the first time in 24 days. This is a decrease of 71 from 953 cases the day before. The health authorities attribute this to the continued decline in new cases and the increased rate of third-dose vaccinations. It also appears to reflect the gradual spread of the Omicron variant in the country, which is known to have relatively lower severity.

The death toll increased by 49, bringing the total deaths to 5,887 (cumulative fatality rate 0.9%).

Regarding infection routes, 3,931 cases were locally transmitted, and 195 were imported. Among local cases, Gyeonggi reported 1,496, Seoul 1,150, and Incheon 273, totaling 2,919 cases (74.3%) in the metropolitan area. Non-metropolitan areas reported a total of 1,012 cases (25.7%), including Busan 222, Daegu 106, Gyeongnam 101, Gwangju 91, Gyeongbuk 88, Chungnam 77, Jeonbuk 71, Jeonnam 57, Gangwon 54, Chungbuk 45, Daejeon 38, Ulsan 28, Sejong 18, and Jeju 16.

On the previous day, 96,226 tests were conducted at screening clinics for suspected cases, and 122,019 tests were performed at temporary screening centers, totaling 218,245 tests. The test positivity rate, calculated by dividing the number of new cases by the total tests conducted the previous day, was 1.7%.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 vaccination completion rate in South Korea stood at 83.3% as of midnight on this day, with a cumulative total of 42,757,523 people vaccinated. The third-dose vaccination was completed by 19,673,906 people, accounting for 38.3% of the total population.

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