70% of New Confirmed Cases Are Imported

Among 62 New Patients, 43... Largest in 110 Days

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] On the 13th, it was found that 7 out of 10 new domestic confirmed cases of COVID-19 were imported from overseas. While cluster infections from door-to-door sales companies continue in the metropolitan area and Gwangju, the number of imported confirmed cases reached the highest in over four months, causing health authorities to be on alert.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH), as of midnight on that day, there were 62 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. Looking at the infection routes, 43 cases were imported from overseas, more than double the 19 locally transmitted cases. The number of new imported confirmed cases is the highest in 110 days since March 25 (51 cases).

Imported confirmed cases had remained below 10 since mid-April, but as the number of confirmed cases worldwide recently reached record highs, the number has shown double-digit increases for 18 consecutive days since the 26th of last month.

Among the 43 imported confirmed cases, 18 were detected during quarantine. The rest were confirmed after entry in Gyeonggi Province (8), Chungnam (4), Seoul and Incheon (3 each), Gangwon and Gyeongnam (2 each), and Daegu, Gwangju, and Chungbuk (1 each).

Local transmission cases occurred only in the metropolitan area and Gwangju. There were 10 cases in Seoul and 3 in Gyeonggi, totaling 13 in the metropolitan area, and 6 cases in Gwangju.

In the case of the Gwangju door-to-door sales group, the number of facilities and gatherings with confirmed cases increased to 12, bringing the cumulative confirmed cases to 135. Regarding the cluster outbreak in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, one additional family member of an acquaintance of an existing confirmed case tested positive, raising the cumulative confirmed cases to 31.

Meanwhile, the number of new confirmed cases on this day was in the 60s, the first time in 8 days since the 5th (61 cases). Considering that the number of confirmed cases is usually lowest at the beginning of the week and increases toward the end, there is a forecast that the spread could intensify. On weekends, the number of tests conducted is low, and since it usually takes about a day for test results to come out after specimen collection, the number of new confirmed cases tends to decrease from Monday to Tuesday compared to other days.