Citizens are passing in front of the Daegu Medical Center screening clinic. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] On the 21st, 52 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were reported in South Korea. Among them, 41 cases were from the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, 3 from Seoul, 2 from Gyeongnam, and 1 each from Chungnam, Chungbuk, Gyeonggi, Jeonbuk, Jeju, and Gwangju, causing a surge of patients nationwide.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that as of 9 a.m. on this day, 52 additional COVID-19 patients were confirmed domestically. This figure includes cases reported from 4 p.m. on the 20th until overnight. The cumulative number of confirmed cases sharply increased from 104 in the afternoon of the previous day to 156.
In the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, where 56 confirmed cases were reported the previous day, 41 more patients were added overnight. Among these, 35 patients are linked to the Shincheonji Daegu Church, 1 patient is related to Cheongdo Daenam Hospital, and the remaining 5 are under investigation for their connection to the region. Regarding cluster infection cases related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church, an additional 39 patients were confirmed by region: 33 in Daegu, 2 in Gyeongbuk, 2 in Gyeongnam, 1 in Chungbuk, and 1 in Gwangju.
Meanwhile, no additional patients have been declared fully recovered as of this morning, maintaining the number of discharged patients at 16. Among the confirmed cases, a man in his 60s who died of pneumonia symptoms at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital on the 19th tested positive for COVID-19 posthumously, bringing the total number of deaths among confirmed patients to 1.
As of 9 a.m., there are 14,660 suspected patients with fever and cough symptoms who have traveled to China or other COVID-19 outbreak countries. This is an increase of 1,562 from 13,098 reported the previous afternoon. Among them, 11,953 tested negative, and 2,707 are still undergoing testing.
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