New COVID-19 Cases at 621 for Two Consecutive Days... 237 Cases in Gyeonggi Province (Update)

590 Local Cases, 31 Imported Cases

On the 16th, when snow fell mainly in the central region, citizens are getting tested at the temporary COVID-19 screening site set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] On the 18th, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases recorded 621 for the second consecutive day.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of midnight on the day, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases increased by 621, bringing the total to 85,567. The cases were counted as 590 local transmissions and 31 imported cases, the same as the previous day.

The trend of cases centered in the metropolitan area continued on this day as well. In particular, due to the cluster infection at Jin-gwan Industrial Complex in Namyangju, 237 cases were reported in Gyeonggi Province alone. There were 179 cases in Seoul, 16 in Incheon, totaling 432 confirmed cases in the metropolitan area. Additional cases were also reported in all non-metropolitan regions. Busan and Chungnam each reported 28 cases, Gyeongbuk 22, Chungbuk 16, Gwangju and Daejeon 12 each, Daegu 9, Gyeongnam 7, Ulsan 6, Jeonbuk and Jeju 5 each, Jeonnam 4, Gangwon 3, and Sejong 1.

There were 31 imported cases. Among them, 12 were identified during quarantine, and the remaining 19 were confirmed in the local community. Of these, 19 were Korean nationals and 12 were foreigners.

The cumulative death toll from COVID-19 increased by 6 from the previous day, reaching 1,544. Among hospitalized patients, the number of critically ill patients decreased by 8 to 161. The number of patients who have been declared recovered and released from isolation increased by 536, bringing the total to 75,896.