Medical staff are collecting specimens at a temporary screening clinic for COVID-19 set up at Seoul Station Plaza on the 19th. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The daily number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea has risen again to the 400s.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced on the 20th at midnight that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 404 from the previous day to 73,518.
The sources of infection for the new confirmed cases were 373 local transmissions and 31 imported cases.
About 7 out of 10 local confirmed cases occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area. Among local transmissions, 135 cases (36.2%) were reported in Seoul, 126 cases (33.8%) in Gyeonggi, and 14 cases (3.8%) in Incheon, totaling 275 cases in the metropolitan area, accounting for 73.7% of all local cases.
Additionally, new confirmed cases were reported as follows: 18 in Gyeongnam, 12 in Busan, 11 in Daegu, 11 in Gwangju, 9 in Gangwon, 9 in Jeonnam, 7 in Chungnam, 7 in Gyeongbuk, 6 in Jeju, 3 in Ulsan, 2 in Chungbuk, 2 in Jeonbuk, and 1 in Daejeon. No new cases were reported in Sejong.
There were 31 imported confirmed cases. Among them, 1 case was detected during quarantine, and the remaining 30 were identified in the community. Thirteen were Korean nationals and 18 were foreigners.
The number of patients who have been declared recovered and released from isolation reached 60,180, an increase of 712 from the previous day. Among the hospitalized confirmed patients, the number of critically ill patients decreased by 12 to 323 compared to the previous day. The death toll rose by 17 to 1,300.
On the previous day, 51,804 diagnostic tests were conducted for suspected cases. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 19,943 tests were performed, confirming 67 new cases.
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