53→100→229, Accelerating COVID-19... Total Patients Reach 433 (Update)

Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19, Domestic Status as of 4 PM
87 New Cases Added, Including 142 in the Morning, Total 229 Cases Surge in One Day... Total 433 Cases

As the number of patients infected with the novel coronavirus rapidly increases in Daegu, suspected patients are flocking to the Nam-gu Public Health Center in Daegu on the afternoon of the 21st.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The number of newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) increased by 229 in just one day on the 22nd. The total number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 433. The rate of increase in confirmed cases is becoming steeper.

On the 22nd, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for COVID-19 announced that 87 new confirmed cases were identified in the afternoon (as of 4 PM). Along with the 142 cases confirmed from the previous afternoon through the night and early morning of the day, a total of 229 new cases were confirmed in one day. Since the first case was confirmed domestically on the 20th of last month, this is the first time the daily number of confirmed cases has exceeded 200. After the 31st case was confirmed on the 18th, 20 additional cases were added the next day, followed by 53 on the 20th and 100 on the 21st.

The increase in cases is steep, centered around the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. This is largely due to cluster outbreaks centered on specific facilities or institutions such as the Shincheonji Daegu Church and Cheongdo Daenam Hospital. Among the 87 newly confirmed cases in the afternoon, 62 are related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church, and 3 are from Daenam Hospital. The remaining 22 cases are currently under investigation. By region, 55 new cases were added in Daegu alone, and 14 new cases were confirmed in Gyeongbuk.

Five new cases emerged at once in Gangwon Province, where there had been no cases until now. Among them, the authorities have identified that 2 are related to the Shincheonji Daegu Church. The other 3 are under investigation. Following cases in Sejong and Daejeon in the morning, new cases also appeared in Gangwon and Ulsan in the afternoon. Since diagnostic testing is still ongoing at cluster outbreak sites such as the Shincheonji Daegu Church and Daenam Hospital, there is a high possibility that the number of cases will increase further.

One more person was released from isolation after recovery on this day, bringing the total number of recovered patients in the country to 18. The number of deaths remains at 2, unchanged from the previous day. Excluding these, 413 patients are currently isolated and receiving treatment. The total number of people tested, excluding confirmed cases, has surpassed 20,000, reaching 21,153 (cumulative). The authorities are conducting about 5,000 diagnostic tests per day.