As of 6 PM, 296,065 COVID-19 Cases Nationwide... 2,601 Fewer Than Previous Day (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] As the COVID-19 Omicron variant rapidly spreads, with daily confirmed cases approaching 400,000, the number of confirmed cases nationwide reached nearly 300,000 by 6 p.m. on the 12th.

According to Seoul and other local governments, from midnight to 6 p.m. on that day, 296,065 people across 17 cities and provinces were confirmed positive for COVID-19. This is 2,601 fewer than the previous day's 298,666 cases during the same time frame, which was the highest recorded. However, it is 1.4 times the figure recorded a week earlier on the 5th (204,311 cases) and 2.2 times the figure from two weeks ago on the 26th of last month (132,319 cases).

Since there is still time until midnight when the count is finalized, the number of new confirmed cases to be announced on the 13th is expected to increase further, reaching the mid-300,000 range. The government expects the Omicron wave to peak sometime next week, with the weekly daily average of confirmed cases reaching up to 370,000.

As of 6 p.m. on that day, new confirmed cases were 156,355 (52.8%) in the metropolitan area and 139,710 (47.2%) in non-metropolitan areas. By region, the numbers were: Gyeonggi 78,057, Seoul 64,514, Busan 29,649, Gyeongnam 19,831, Incheon 13,784, Gyeongbuk 12,729, Chungnam 10,858, Daegu 9,758, Ulsan 9,171, Gangwon 8,661, Daejeon 7,235, Gwangju 7,087, Chungbuk 6,723, Jeonnam 6,719, Jeonbuk 5,195, Jeju 4,069, and Sejong 2,025.

From the 6th for one week, the daily new confirmed cases were 243,621 → 210,709 → 202,711 → 342,433 → 327,543 → 282,983 → 383,665, averaging approximately 284,809 cases per day.

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