On the 19th, public officials at the Okcheon County Office in Chungbuk, where COVID-19 cases were confirmed, are undergoing specimen collection tests at a temporary screening clinic set up inside the government building. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of new domestic COVID-19 cases in South Korea has risen back to the 700s after a week.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) announced on the 21st at midnight that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 731 from the previous day to 115,926. The daily new cases exceeding 700 occurred for the first time in a week since the 731 cases reported on the 14th.
The sources of infection for the new cases were 692 local transmissions and 39 imported cases.
About 60% of the locally transmitted cases occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area. There were 211 cases in Seoul (30.5%), 225 in Gyeonggi (32.5%), and 13 in Incheon (1.9%), totaling 449 cases in the metropolitan area, accounting for 64.9% of all confirmed cases.
Other regions reported new cases as follows: 40 in Gyeongnam, 39 in Ulsan, 33 in Busan, 25 in Daegu, 19 in Chungbuk, 17 in Gwangju, 17 in Daejeon, 15 in Gyeongbuk, 14 in Gangwon, 8 in Jeonbuk, 7 in Chungnam, 6 in Jeju, 2 in Jeonnam, and 1 in Sejong.
The weekly average of daily local cases, a key indicator for adjusting social distancing levels, remained in the low 600s for the 10th consecutive day at 619.
There were 39 imported cases, of which 13 were detected during quarantine and 26 in the community. Among them, 18 were Korean nationals and 21 were foreigners.
The number of patients who have recovered and been released from isolation increased by 650 to 105,877. Among hospitalized patients, the number of critically ill patients rose by 7 to 116. The death toll increased by 4 to 1,806.
A total of 76,167 tests were conducted the previous day. At temporary screening clinics set up in the metropolitan area, 37,165 tests were performed, confirming 131 new cases.
On the morning of the 1st, a citizen is receiving the Pfizer vaccine at the COVID-19 local vaccination center set up at Yeomju Gymnasium in Seo-gu, Gwangju. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, as of midnight on the same day, 132,028 people received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, bringing the total number of first-dose recipients to 1,771,407. Among them, 1,093,174 received the AstraZeneca vaccine and 678,233 received the Pfizer vaccine.
The number of people who completed the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine increased by 11 to 60,597. The second dose of Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 treatment hospital workers was completed as of the 10th, and the elderly aged 75 and over, who began vaccination on the 1st, have not yet reached the second dose period, so only a small number of vaccinations are being conducted for some no-shows and reserve candidates.
The number of suspected adverse reaction reports increased by 138 to a total of 12,533. Among these, two additional deaths were reported among Pfizer vaccine recipients. This brings the total number of deaths following Pfizer vaccination to 14, and the total deaths after all COVID-19 vaccinations to 51.
Additionally, four suspected cases of anaphylaxis reactions were reported, including three cases of anaphylaxis-like reactions and one case of anaphylactic shock. Three more cases of severe suspected reactions such as convulsions requiring intensive care unit admission were also reported.
The remaining 129 cases were common adverse reactions after vaccination, such as muscle pain, headache, fever, chills, and nausea.
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