718 Confirmed Cases by 6 PM Today... 137 More Than Previous Day

Citizens waiting to be tested at a temporary screening clinic set up in Seoul Station Plaza on the 20th, where the number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) reached 1,097, marking the highest number since the outbreak in the country. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues domestically, new confirmed cases were reported across the country on the 22nd as well.

According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, a total of 718 people were newly confirmed nationwide from midnight to 6 p.m. on that day.

This is 137 more than the 581 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

Among the 718 cases reported in the interim tally by city and province on that day, 497 cases (69.2%) were from the metropolitan area, and 221 cases (30.8%) were from non-metropolitan areas.

By city and province, Gyeonggi had 249 cases, Seoul 202, Chungbuk 57, Incheon 46, Gyeongnam 24, Busan 20, Jeonbuk and Daejeon 19 each, Daegu and Gyeongbuk 15 each, Jeju and Gwangju 11 each, Ulsan 9, Gangwon and Chungnam 8 each, and Jeonnam 5. Among the 17 cities and provinces, no additional confirmed cases were reported in Sejong.

In the past week (from the 16th to the 22nd of this month), the daily new confirmed cases were 1078 → 1014 → 1064 → 1051 → 1097 → 926 → 869, averaging 1014 cases per day.

Among these, the daily average of locally transmitted confirmed cases, which is one of the key indicators for adjusting the 'social distancing' level, was 986, approaching 1000.

About 50 COVID-19 cluster infections are reported weekly, recently occurring mainly in religious facilities, medical institutions and nursing homes, and workplaces.

Major cluster infection cases with more than 30 cumulative confirmed cases include Jeju church-sauna-live cafe-evening gathering (112 cases), Seoul Guro-gu nursing hospital and nursing home (107 cases), hospitals in Goesan, Eumseong, and Jincheon counties in Chungbuk (86 cases), Cham Sarang nursing home in Cheongju, Chungbuk (80 cases), an elementary school in Donghae, Gangwon (45 cases), and Gwangjin Central Church in Dong-gu, Daegu (31 cases).