New COVID-19 Cases Reach 18,000 - 'Record High'... Expected Surge After Holiday (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 rapidly spreads during the Lunar New Year holiday, the number of new confirmed cases in South Korea reached an all-time high on the 1st.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of midnight on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the total number of confirmed cases increased by 18,343 to a cumulative 864,042.

This is an increase of 1,264 cases compared to the previous day's count of 17,079.

This is the first time that the number of new confirmed cases has exceeded 18,000 since COVID-19 first occurred in South Korea.

The number of new confirmed cases first surpassed 8,000 on the 25th of last month with 8,570 cases, then exceeded 10,000 on the 26th (13,009 cases), and the upward trend has continued. The record was broken for six consecutive days until the 30th, slightly decreased the day before, but increased again on the 1st, approaching 20,000.

Considering that Omicron is 2 to 3 times more transmissible than the Delta variant and that contact and gatherings have surged due to the relatively long Lunar New Year holiday, it is expected that the number of new confirmed cases will surpass 20,000 soon.

The proportion of Omicron variant cases among confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea was 80% as of last week. This indicates that Omicron has firmly established itself as the dominant strain domestically.

However, the number of severe cases and deaths is not high relative to the number of confirmed cases.

As of midnight on this day, the number of severe cases was 272, down by 5 from the previous day.

The number of deaths increased by 17 to a cumulative 6,772, with a cumulative fatality rate of 0.78%.

The COVID-19 fatality rate was 0.91% in early to mid-last month, but as Omicron, which has a severe case rate one-fifth that of Delta, became the dominant strain, the rate has been gradually decreasing.

New locally transmitted cases were 5,509 in Gyeonggi, 4,103 in Seoul, and 1,366 in Incheon, totaling 10,978 (60.6%) in the metropolitan area.

In non-metropolitan areas, cases were reported as follows: 972 in Busan, 954 in Daegu, 845 in Gyeongnam, 720 in Chungnam, 614 in Gyeongbuk, 583 in Jeonbuk, 493 in Gwangju, 460 in Daejeon, 405 in Chungbuk, 402 in Jeonnam, 253 in Gangwon, 250 in Ulsan, 108 in Sejong, and 86 in Jeju, totaling 7,145 (39.4%).

This is the first time that new locally transmitted cases in non-metropolitan areas have exceeded 7,000 in a single day since the outbreak of COVID-19.

The total number of new confirmed cases, including local transmission and imported cases (excluding quarantine), was 5,537 in Gyeonggi, 4,131 in Seoul, and 1,381 in Incheon, totaling 11,049 in the metropolitan area.

There were 220 imported cases.

From the 26th of last month for one week, the daily new confirmed cases were 13,009 → 14,514 → 16,094 → 17,514 → 17,528 → 17,079 → 18,343, averaging about 16,297 per day.

On the previous day, the number of tests conducted at screening clinics for suspected cases was 77,776, and tests at temporary screening clinics were 146,907, totaling 224,683 tests.

The test positivity rate as of midnight on this day was 9.3%, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous day (7.8%), marking a record high.

This is three times higher than the positivity rate of around 3% in early to mid-this month, and there is a possibility that new confirmed cases will explode once the holiday ends and testing returns to normal weekday levels.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 vaccination completion rate (basic vaccination) as of midnight on this day was 85.7% (a cumulative 43,996,241 people). The third dose vaccination rate was 53.1% of the total population (a cumulative 27,254,256 people).

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