Confirmed cases surpass 80,000 for the first time as of 6 PM... 9,388 more than the previous day

86,637 Confirmed Cases as of 6 PM
First Time Surpassing 80,000 at the Same Time
Double Compared to a Week Ago, Five Times Compared to Two Weeks Ago

On the 17th, as the spread of COVID-19 continued, citizens underwent rapid antigen tests at the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] By 6 p.m. on the 17th, more than 80,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide. This is an increase of over 9,000 compared to the same time the previous day.

According to Seoul City and local governments, from midnight to 6 p.m. on this day, 86,637 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19. Compared to the previous day's record high of 77,249 cases during the same time frame, this is a sharp increase of 9,388 cases.

This is the first time that more than 80,000 confirmed cases have been reported by 6 p.m. Compared to the count a week ago on the 10th at the same time (43,515 cases), it is about double. Compared to two weeks ago on the 3rd at the same time (17,196 cases), it is five times higher.

Since the Omicron variant became the dominant strain, the number of confirmed cases has been doubling every week, showing a 'doubling' phenomenon.

On the 16th, by 6 p.m., 77,249 cases were confirmed, and with an increase of 15,886 cases, the total reached 93,135 confirmed cases. There is also a possibility that new cases on the 18th will exceed 100,000.

As of 6 p.m. on this day, new confirmed cases were 52,274 (60.3%) in the metropolitan area and 34,363 (39.7%) in non-metropolitan areas. In Seoul, for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of confirmed cases by 6 p.m. exceeded 20,000.

By city and province, the numbers are: Gyeonggi 26,177, Seoul 20,524, Incheon 5,573, Busan 5,010, Gyeongnam 4,063, Daegu 4,037, Gyeongbuk 3,285, Chungnam 2,915, Daejeon 2,733, Gwangju 2,570, Chungbuk 2,032, Ulsan 1,954, Gangwon 1,657, Jeonnam 1,305, Jeonbuk 1,301, Jeju 854, and Sejong 647.

From the 11th for one week, daily new confirmed cases were 53,920 → 54,938 → 56,430 → 54,615 → 57,169 → 90,443 → 93,135. The average daily confirmed cases are approximately 65,807.

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