New COVID-19 Cases Remain in the 500s for Second Day... 166 Additional Vaccine Adverse Reactions Reported (Update)

Local Cases 529, Imported Cases 20

On the 18th, citizens are lining up to get tested at the temporary COVID-19 screening clinic set up at Seoul Station Plaza. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] On the 20th, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases remained in the 500s for two consecutive days due to a decrease in testing over the weekend.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced that as of midnight, 549 new domestic COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 115,195. Of these, 529 were locally transmitted cases, and 20 were imported cases.

The number of suspected case tests conducted that day was 43,771, and the number of tests at temporary screening centers in the metropolitan area was 41,766. Among these, 81 cases were confirmed positive at the metropolitan temporary screening centers.

By region, in the metropolitan area, Seoul reported 147 cases, Gyeonggi 184 cases, and Incheon 18 cases. In non-metropolitan areas, Busan and Gyeongnam each reported 29 cases, Ulsan 21, Gyeongbuk 20, Gangwon 18, Chungnam 16, Daegu 12, Daejeon 8, Gwangju and Jeonnam each 4, Jeonbuk 3, and Jeju and Sejong each 1 case.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths increased by one from the previous day to 1,802. The number of critically ill patients increased by 10 to 109. The number of patients who have recovered and been released from isolation increased by 753 to 105,227.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team reported that as of midnight, 121,234 people received their first dose, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 1,639,490. One additional person received a second dose, bringing the cumulative total to 60,586. So far, 1,043,457 people have received the AstraZeneca vaccine, and 596,033 have received the Pfizer vaccine.

The number of suspected adverse reactions reported after COVID-19 vaccination increased by 166 cases from the previous day, totaling 12,395. Newly reported adverse reactions included 3 suspected anaphylaxis cases, 5 suspected severe cases, and 2 death cases. The remainder were mild symptoms such as muscle pain and headaches.