4846 New COVID-19 Cases Nationwide by 9 PM... 1512 More Than Yesterday

On the 18th, when 4,072 new COVID-19 cases were reported, the temporary screening clinic in front of Seoul City Hall was crowded with citizens. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 spreads domestically, the scale of the outbreak is expected to gradually increase, and on the 18th, confirmed cases surged nationwide.

According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, from midnight to 9 p.m. on that day, a total of 4,846 people tested positive for COVID-19 across 17 cities and provinces nationwide. This is 1,512 more than the 3,334 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

New confirmed cases had decreased in late last month due to social distancing and the expansion of the third dose of vaccination, but recently, as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly, the numbers are rising again.

As of 9 p.m. on that day, the number of confirmed cases was 1,059 more than the 3,787 cases recorded at the same time a week ago on the 11th, and 1,157 more than the 3,689 cases two weeks ago on the 4th.

It is the first time in three weeks since the 28th of last month, when the number of cases recorded at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday reached the 4,000 range with 4,711 cases.

On that day, 3,170 cases (65.4%) were reported in the metropolitan area, and 1,676 cases (34.6%) in non-metropolitan areas.

By city and province, the numbers were: Gyeonggi 1,554, Seoul 1,192, Incheon 424, Gwangju 228, Daegu 214, Busan 171, Gyeongbuk 170, Chungnam 165, Gangwon 146, Gyeongnam 126, Daejeon 116, Jeonbuk 104, Chungbuk 77, Jeonnam 76, Ulsan 41, Sejong 26, and Jeju 16. Confirmed cases were reported in all 17 cities and provinces.

Meanwhile, the fourth domestic wave, which began in early July last year, has continued for seven months. From the 12th for one week, the daily new confirmed cases were 4,383 → 4,165 → 4,538 → 4,420 → 4,193 → 3,858 → 4,072, averaging about 4,233 cases per day.

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