On Election Day at 9 PM, 305,191 Confirmed Cases Nationwide... Exceeding 300,000 for Two Consecutive Days

22,643 Fewer Than Yesterday
But 1.9 Times More Than Two Weeks Ago

On the 9th, when the record-high number of over 300,000 confirmed cases occurred, citizens were waiting for tests at the temporary screening clinic in Seoul Plaza. On the day of the 20th presidential election, there were 342,446 new COVID-19 cases, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases exceeded 5 million in South Korea 779 days after the first COVID-19 case was reported./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] By 9 PM on the 9th, the day of the 20th presidential election, more than 300,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide. This is the second highest number based on the 9 PM interim tally.

According to Seoul Metropolitan Government and other local governments, from midnight to 9 PM on the same day, 305,191 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19. This is 21,643 fewer than the previous day, which recorded the highest number at the same time, but 1.6 times higher than a week ago and 1.9 times higher than two weeks ago.

As of 9 PM on the day, new confirmed cases were 174,793 (57.3%) in the metropolitan area and 130,398 (42.7%) in non-metropolitan areas. By region, the numbers are ▲Gyeonggi 88,060 ▲Seoul 66,839 ▲Busan 21,605 ▲Incheon 19,894 ▲Gyeongnam 15,467 ▲Gyeongbuk 11,971 ▲Daegu 11,179 ▲Jeonbuk 10,089 ▲Ulsan 8,805 ▲Chungbuk 8,763 ▲Chungnam 8,102 ▲Gangwon 8,008 ▲Daejeon 7,935 ▲Jeonnam 5,936 ▲Gwangju 5,845 ▲Jeju 4,751 ▲Sejong 1,942.

Since the Omicron variant became the dominant strain domestically, new confirmed cases have been rapidly increasing. The daily new confirmed cases for the week starting from the 3rd were 198,800 → 266,847 → 254,321 → 243,622 → 210,714 → 202,720 → 342,446, averaging 245,639 cases per day.

With time remaining until midnight when the tally closes, the new confirmed cases to be announced on the 10th are expected to increase further, likely exceeding 300,000 for the second consecutive day. The record for the highest number of new confirmed cases is 342,446, announced as of midnight on the day.

Experts say that the domestic COVID-19 outbreak has entered the 'peak phase,' and after 1 to 2 weeks of daily new confirmed cases around 300,000, it is expected to enter a declining trend.

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