COVID-19 New Cases 125 Yesterday... Over 100 for Two Consecutive Days (Update)

On the 27th, students at Seongsu High School in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, are undergoing diagnostic tests at a temporary screening clinic set up on the school premises. A third-year student at this school, who tested positive for COVID-19 on the 26th, is reported to have attended school every weekday last week. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] On the 29th, the number of newly confirmed domestic cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) was recorded at 125. Following outbreaks in nursing facilities and hospitals, small-scale cluster infections have occurred in various places such as family and acquaintances gatherings, golf meetings, and schools, resulting in three-digit confirmed cases for two consecutive days.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, as of midnight on this day, 106 cases are presumed to be domestic infections, and 19 are imported cases. Although the number briefly dropped below 50 in mid-month, new cases have steadily occurred around 100. It has been six days since the number of domestic infections exceeded 100, last recorded on the 23rd (138 cases).

Most cases are in the metropolitan area. Gyeonggi Province has the highest number with 58 cases (including 6 imported), followed by Seoul (36) and Incheon (5), totaling 99 new confirmed cases in the metropolitan area. In Gangwon, where infections spread through family and relatives gatherings and daycare centers, 7 cases were confirmed, and 3 cases were confirmed in Daegu. Gwangju and Ulsan each reported 2 new cases, and Chungnam, Jeonbuk, and Gyeongbuk each had 1 new confirmed case. Nine cases were identified during quarantine.

Regarding the origins of the 19 imported cases, the United States leads with 8 cases, followed by Kuwait with 3, the Philippines and Uzbekistan with 2 each, and Russia, India, Indonesia, and Italy with 1 each. Six are Korean nationals, and 13 are foreigners. One death was reported the previous day, bringing the total domestic death toll to 462. The number of critically ill patients increased by 1 to 53, and the number of patients currently isolated and receiving treatment was recorded at 1,641.