70 New COVID-19 Cases... Two Consecutive Days of Double Digits (Update)

Domestic Occurrence Status as of 0:00 on the 21st by Central Disease Control Headquarters
43 Cases in the Capital Area, Pre-Second Wave Level... Authorities "Need to Reduce Further"

On the 20th, a temporary closure notice due to COVID-19 is posted at a store on Myeongdong Street in Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] On the 21st, the newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) were counted at 70. Among them, 55 cases are presumed to be domestic community transmissions, and 15 are imported cases. The number of new confirmed cases remained in double digits for the second consecutive day. Since mid-last month, the outbreak surged mainly in the metropolitan area, with over 400 new cases reported in a single day at one point, but the spread seems to have eased as the number fell below 100 for the first time in 38 days, with 82 cases reported the day before.

According to the domestic COVID-19 status announced by the Central Disease Control Headquarters as of midnight on the same day, 43 of the 70 new confirmed cases were from the metropolitan area, still accounting for a significant portion. Busan, where a cluster outbreak occurred in a university, reported 8 cases. Daejeon and Chungbuk and Gyeongnam each reported 2 cases, and Daegu, Gwangju, and Gyeongbuk each reported 1 new confirmed case. Ten cases were identified during the quarantine stage.

Among the imported cases, 11 were from Asian countries other than China, including the Philippines (4 cases) and India (3 cases), with 3 from Turkey and 1 from Australia, totaling 15. Four were Korean nationals, and 11 were foreigners. The number of severe and critical patients decreased by 5 from the previous day, totaling 141. Two deaths were reported the previous day, raising the total domestic death toll to 385. Ninety patients were released from isolation, and the number of patients undergoing isolation treatment slightly decreased to 2,412 compared to the previous day.

Although the number of new confirmed cases is on a downward trend, small-scale cluster infections are still occurring in various places, and with the Lunar New Year holiday just a few days away, the quarantine authorities remain vigilant. Kang Do-tae, the first chief coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said before the meeting on the day, "26% of confirmed patients still have unknown infection routes, and sporadic cluster infections such as door-to-door sales continue across several cities and provinces," adding, "To minimize the spread during the holiday period, we must reduce the number of confirmed cases to a level where people can feel truly safe."