New COVID-19 Cases Exceed 110,000... Overseas Influx Also Hits Record High (Update)

111,789 New Confirmed Cases Including 568 Imported Cases
282 Severe Patients Hospitalized...16 Deaths

On the 2nd, as the spread of COVID-19 continued, the screening clinic at Mapo-gu Public Health Center in Seoul was crowded with citizens. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] As the number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 110,000, the number of imported cases reached the highest since COVID-19 first landed in South Korea. The cumulative number of confirmed cases is expected to surpass 20 million based on tomorrow's announcement.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 2nd, as of midnight, 111,789 new COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the total cumulative cases to 19,932,439. Among these, 568 were imported cases, marking the highest ever recorded.

The number of confirmed cases on this day was the highest in 105 days since April 19 (118,474 cases). It more than doubled compared to the previous day (44,689 cases), which had a 'weekend effect' where fewer tests led to fewer reported cases. The number of cases on this day was about 1.13 times higher than a week ago (99,252 cases), showing a recent decreasing trend in the rate of increase.

Considering that typically more cases are reported on Wednesdays than on Tuesdays, the cumulative number of confirmed cases is expected to exceed 20 million on the 3rd. This is 13 days after surpassing 19 million on the 21st of last month.

As of midnight on this day, the number of severe COVID-19 patients was 282, a decrease of 5 from the previous day but about 1.68 times higher than a week ago. The nationwide severe case bed occupancy rate is 29.5%, with 28.5% in the metropolitan area and 32.2% in non-metropolitan areas.

The number of new deaths decreased by 5 from the previous day to 16. By age group, 9 were aged 80 or older, 5 were in their 70s, and 1 each in their 50s and 60s. The cumulative death toll is 25,084, with a fatality rate of 0.13%.

The total number of confirmed cases under home treatment was 449,811, a decrease of 18,681 from the previous day (468,492).

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