10,665 Confirmed Cases at 6 PM on First Day of Seol Holiday... Highest Ever for Same Time Slot

36 More Than Same Time Previous Day and 2.2 Times Compared to Previous Week

On the 28th, when the highest number of new COVID-19 cases reached 16,096, citizens visiting a temporary screening clinic near the Express Bus Terminal Station in Seocho-gu, Seoul, are waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] On the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday and Saturday, the 29th, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases nationwide set a new record for the highest number at the same time, as of 6 p.m.

According to health authorities and local governments, from midnight to 6 p.m. on that day, a total of 10,665 confirmed cases tested positive for COVID-19 across 17 cities and provinces nationwide. This is 36 more than the number of confirmed cases at the same time the previous day.

Compared to 4,791 confirmed cases at 6 p.m. on the 22nd, one week ago, this is 2.2 times higher. Compared to 3,213 cases on the 15th, two weeks ago, it is about 3.3 times higher.

New confirmed cases on that day were 5,866 (55.0%) in the metropolitan area and 4,799 (45.0%) in non-metropolitan areas.

By city and province, the numbers are: Gyeonggi 2,564, Seoul 2,025, Incheon 1,277, Daegu 883, Busan 842, Gyeongbuk 581, Gwangju 476, Chungnam 392, Daejeon 341, Jeonnam 215, Ulsan 212, Gyeongnam 206, Gangwon 190, Chungbuk 163, Jeonbuk 152, Sejong and Jeju each 73.

Since the Omicron variant became the dominant strain in Korea, confirmed cases have surged, and since the 26th, daily confirmed cases have exceeded 10,000.

The average daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases over the past week is 12,124. From the 23rd, the daily confirmed cases over the week were 7,626 → 7,511 → 8,570 → 13,010 → 14,514 → 16,095 → 17,542, showing an increasing trend.

If additional confirmed cases are reported by midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced on the 30th is expected to be much higher than this.

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