New COVID-19 Cases Under 10,000 as of 9 PM... Lowest in 19 Weeks

As the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and demand for overseas travel increases, the threat of imported COVID-19 variants and monkeypox is gradually rising. On the 26th, at the departure hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport, an airline staff member wearing protective gear guided passengers heading to China. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] As of 9 PM on the day of the nationwide simultaneous local elections on the 1st, fewer than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported.

According to Seoul and other local governments, from midnight to 9 PM on that day, a total of 9,693 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19. This is 5,529 fewer than the 15,222 cases reported during the same time frame the previous day. Of these, 4,209 cases (43.4%) were from the metropolitan area, and 5,484 cases (56.6%) were from non-metropolitan areas.

Typically, the number of new cases hits a low point during weekends and early weekdays, then rises again midweek. However, on this day, the number of tests decreased due to the local elections, resulting in fewer confirmed cases.

The number of new cases reported by 9 PM on this day is 8,582 fewer than the 18,275 cases reported at the same time one week earlier on the 25th. Compared to two weeks ago on the 18th, when 26,773 cases were reported, it is 17,080 fewer.

This is the first time in 19 weeks since January 19th (5,249 cases) that the number of new cases reported by 9 PM on a Wednesday has been below 10,000.

Since there is still time until midnight when the count is finalized, the number of new cases announced on the 2nd is expected to increase somewhat but will likely remain around 10,000.

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