New Confirmed Cases 71,471, Down 1,161 from Last Week... Severe Cases in 400s (Update)

491 Severe Cases Hospitalized... 72 Deaths

On the 14th, when 93,981 new COVID-19 cases were reported, citizens who visited the screening clinic set up at Songpa-gu Public Health Center in Seoul were waiting to get tested. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, which had increased after the Chuseok holiday, is now showing a declining trend compared to a week ago. The number of critically ill patients has dropped below 500 after a week, but the number of deaths has been rising for three consecutive days.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 15th, as of midnight, 71,471 new COVID-19 cases were reported, bringing the total cumulative cases to 24,264,470.

Unlike the previous day, when the number of confirmed cases increased compared to a week ago due to increased testing after the Chuseok holiday, the number of new cases on this day was 1,161 fewer than a week ago. It decreased by 22,510 compared to the previous day. The number of tests conducted at screening clinics on this day was 114,949, about half of the previous day's 248,127 tests.

The number of critically ill patients currently hospitalized was 491, dropping to the 400s for the first time in a week. The number of critically ill patients had decreased to 493 on the 8th but then increased again, maintaining the 500s for six days. The nationwide critical care bed occupancy rate was 29.7%, falling below 30% for the first time since the 3rd of last month. The critical care bed occupancy rate in the metropolitan area was 30.4%, and 28.3% in non-metropolitan areas.

The number of new COVID-19 deaths reported on this day was 72. By age group, 43 were aged 80 and above, 18 in their 70s, 7 in their 50s, and one each in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 60s. The number of deaths has been increasing for three consecutive days: 22 on the 12th, 35 on the 13th, 60 on the 14th, and 72 on the 15th.

The number of confirmed cases currently undergoing home treatment was 321,819, an increase of 11,649 from the previous day.

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