Gyeonggi-do Sees First Decrease in COVID-19 Cases This Year

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The weekly number of new COVID-19 cases in Gyeonggi Province has decreased for the first time this year.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 29th that the number of confirmed cases in the province from the 20th to the 26th was 661,411, which is 99,470 fewer than the previous week (13th to 19th), when there were 760,881 cases.

This is the first time the weekly number of confirmed cases has decreased this year. The province believes that the Omicron variant pandemic has passed its peak and entered a gradual decline.

The weekly number of confirmed cases among the high-risk group aged 60 and over was 103,864, down 11,225 from 115,089 the previous week, accounting for 16% of all confirmed cases.

However, looking at the weekly proportion of confirmed cases by age group, the percentage of those aged 60 and over dropped to 12% in the 8th week (February 20?26) but has been increasing by 1% each week since then, raising concerns about managing the elderly vulnerable to infection.

As of midnight on the day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the province was 3,436,151. This corresponds to 24.7% of the total population of Gyeonggi Province (13,925,862 as of the end of last December: resident registration population + registered foreigners).

This means that one in four residents of the province has tested positive for COVID-19.

Of the confirmed cases in the province, 3,248,397, or 94.5%, occurred intensively over the past three months this year.

Park Geon-hee, head of the Gyeonggi Province Infectious Disease Control Support Group, said at the weekly briefing, "Although the number of new confirmed cases is showing a decreasing trend, many confirmed cases and deaths are occurring in nursing hospitals and facilities due to the Omicron variant pandemic," and urged, "To prevent severe illness and death, those admitted to or residing in nursing hospitals and facilities who are more than three months past their third vaccination should participate in the fourth vaccination as soon as possible."

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