COVID-19, 113,323 Nationwide Cases Confirmed by 6 PM...Record High (Update)

On the 22nd, when 99,573 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens who visited the temporary screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza were waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, more than 110,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide by 6 p.m. on the 22nd. This is the highest number ever recorded.

According to Seoul Metropolitan Government and other local governments, from midnight to 6 p.m. on this day, a total of 113,323 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19.

This is the first time that the number of confirmed cases has exceeded 110,000 by 6 p.m. The daily new confirmed cases also represent an all-time high. Compared to the previous day's count at the same time of 86,372, this is 26,951 more cases.

The surge in confirmed cases is analyzed to be due to the number of diagnostic tests returning to weekday levels starting from Monday, the previous day.

Compared to the count at the same time one week ago on the 15th (71,915 cases), this is about 1.6 times higher. Compared to two weeks ago on the 8th (28,880 cases), it is 3.9 times higher.

Since there is still time until midnight when the count is finalized, the number of new confirmed cases to be announced on the 23rd is expected to increase further.

As of 6 p.m., new confirmed cases were 63,410 (56.0%) in the metropolitan area and 49,913 (44.0%) in non-metropolitan areas.

By city and province, the numbers are: Seoul 28,734, Gyeonggi 27,125, Incheon 7,551, Busan 6,420, Gyeongnam 6,384, Daegu 5,788, Gyeongbuk 4,907, Gwangju 4,073, Chungnam 4,056, Daejeon 3,731, Ulsan 3,449, Gangwon 2,843, Chungbuk 2,751, Jeonnam 2,010, Jeonbuk 1,659, Sejong 1,042, and Jeju 800.

Since the Omicron variant became the dominant strain in Korea, new confirmed cases have surged. Over the past week starting from the 16th, the daily new confirmed cases were 9,439 → 93,131 → 109,822 → 102,208 → 104,827 → 95,361 → 99,573, averaging 99,337 cases per day.

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