COVID-19 New Cases 320,743... Severe and Critical Cases 1,315 'Record High'

New Confirmed Cases 320,743
Deaths 375, Total Deaths 16,230 · Fatality Rate 0.12%

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients has remained in the 1,300 range for two consecutive days. While the number of new confirmed cases is slightly decreasing, the number of critically ill patients and deaths is heading toward a peak.

As of midnight on the 31st, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases increased by 320,743, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 13,095,631. This is a decrease of 103,898 from the previous day (424,641 cases). Compared to a week ago on the 24th (395,532 cases), it is 74,789 fewer, and compared to two weeks ago on the 17th (621,188 cases), it is 300,445 fewer. However, due to the Omicron wave, the number of new confirmed cases still remains in the 300,000 to 400,000 range, and the cumulative confirmed cases have surpassed 13 million. This means one in four citizens has been infected with COVID-19.

Although the number of new confirmed cases has started to decline, deaths and critically ill patients continue to increase. As of midnight on this day, the number of critically ill patients was 1,315, marking an all-time high. This is an increase of 14 from the previous day (1,301), maintaining the 1,300 range for two consecutive days.

The number of deaths was 375, which is 57 fewer than the previous day (432), but still remains in the high 300s. The cumulative number of deaths is 16,230, with a cumulative fatality rate of 0.12%.

As the number of critically ill patients increases, the bed occupancy rate is also approaching the 70% range. The total number of COVID-19 hospital beds is 52,578, with occupancy rates of 64.2% for critical care beds, 69.1% for semi-critical care beds, and 43.0% for moderate care beds. The operation rate of residential treatment centers is 22.5%.

As of midnight on this day, the number of patients under home treatment was 1,733,217. Among them, 187,446 are in the intensive management group.

Although the scale of confirmed cases is gradually decreasing, it is still a situation where caution is necessary. The BA.2 (Stealth Omicron) variant, which is 30 to 50% more transmissible than the existing Omicron, has become the dominant strain domestically, raising concerns that the wave may last longer. The increasing proportion of confirmed cases among the elderly aged 60 and over, who are at higher risk of severe illness, also places a burden on the healthcare system.

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