"Omicron Spread Accelerates" ... New Daily Cases Near 100,000 Today

New COVID-19 Cases Surge, Surpassing 80,000 by 9 PM the Previous Night

On the 13th, with 56,431 new COVID-19 cases reported, marking the fourth consecutive day of over 50,000 cases, citizens waiting to get tested are seen at a temporary screening clinic set up in World Cup Park, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the Omicron variant spreads and the COVID-19 outbreak approaches its peak, the daily number of new confirmed cases is nearing 100,000.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters and local governments on the 16th, from midnight to 9 p.m. the previous day, 85,114 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide tested positive for COVID-19. This is an increase of 28,787 cases compared to 56,327 cases recorded during the same time frame the day before.

Considering the additional confirmed cases reported from 9 p.m. to midnight, the number of new cases as of midnight on that day is expected to be around 90,000 at minimum, possibly approaching 100,000.

On the 15th, the number of new confirmed cases as of midnight was 57,177, marking a record high, and the number has surged by nearly 30,000 again in just one day.

The daily number of new confirmed cases first surpassed 10,000 on the 26th of last month, then exceeded 20,000 on the 2nd of this month, 30,000 on the 5th, 40,000 on the 9th, and 50,000 on the 10th. After maintaining over 50,000 cases for six consecutive days, it suddenly broke through 80,000 on the 16th.

The government, synthesizing experts' forecasts, expects daily cases to reach 130,000 to 170,000 by the end of this month, while the Institute for Basic Science predicts a maximum of 360,000 cases in early next month. The current trend is rapidly approaching these projections.

Ko Jae-young, spokesperson for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said at a media briefing the previous day, "With the acceleration of Omicron spread, the average daily confirmed cases have increased for three consecutive weeks," adding, "Due to Omicron's high transmissibility, the upward trend will become even steeper."

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