By 9 PM, 41,930 Confirmed Nationwide... 14,000 Fewer Than Last Week

On the 24th, 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 Hyung-min] As of 9 PM on the 28th, the number of new COVID-19 cases nationwide was in the low 40,000s.

According to Seoul and other local governments, from midnight to 9 PM on the same day, 41,930 people across 17 cities and provinces nationwide were confirmed positive for COVID-19. This is 40,143 fewer than the previous day's count at the same time (82,073).

Compared to one week ago on the 21st (56,374 cases), the number decreased by 14,444, and compared to two weeks ago on the 14th (59,790 cases), it decreased by 17,860.

Based on the Sunday interim tally, this is the lowest number in five weeks since the 24th of last month (35,107 cases), and it dropped to the 40,000 range for the first time in four weeks since the 31st of last month (42,883 cases).

However, since there is still time until midnight when the tally closes, the number of new confirmed cases announced on the 29th is expected to increase further, possibly reaching the high 40,000s or the 50,000 range.

By region, the cases are as follows: Gyeonggi 11,741, Seoul 5,756, Gyeongbuk 2,763, Gyeongnam 2,572, Incheon 2,572, Jeonnam 1,906, Daegu 1,809, Chungnam 1,803, Chungbuk 1,617, Daejeon 1,563, Jeonbuk 1,559, Gangwon 1,514, Gwangju 1,490, Busan 1,139, Jeju 871, Ulsan 815, and Sejong 440.

The government has decided to change the evaluation cycle for the adequacy of severe care beds from once a week to daily starting on the 29th, and to shorten the discharge compliance period for patients deemed unsuitable for admission from within 2 days to within 1 day, thereby managing the appropriateness of severe care bed treatment more strictly. The quarantine authorities will announce the basic direction for the second half of the year’s vaccination campaign for the updated vaccine effective against Omicron subvariants on the 31st.

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