528 New COVID-19 Cases by 6 PM... 71 Fewer Than Yesterday

On the 13th, citizens visiting the COVID-19 screening clinic at Songpa-gu Public Health Center in Seoul lined up to wait for their turn for specimen testing. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, 715 new COVID-19 cases (692 local cases, 23 imported cases) were reported as of midnight on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, a total of 528 new confirmed COVID-19 cases tested positive nationwide from 0:00 to 18:00 on this day. This is 71 fewer than the 599 cases recorded at the same time the previous day. Among them, 373 cases (70.6%) were from the metropolitan area, and 155 cases (29.4%) were from non-metropolitan areas.

By city and province, there were 224 cases in Seoul, 136 in Gyeonggi, 41 in Busan, 31 in Gyeongnam, 18 in Gyeongbuk, 13 each in Incheon and Ulsan, 9 each in Gwangju, Gangwon, and Chungnam, 6 each in Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, and Jeju, 4 in Daejeon, 2 in Daegu, and 1 in Chungbuk. Among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, no new confirmed cases were reported in Sejong.

Since the tally closes at midnight, the number of new confirmed cases announced based on 0:00 on the 15th is expected to increase further, reaching the mid to high 600s, or possibly around 700. The previous day saw an increase of 148 cases after 18:00, closing at a final count of 747.

From the 8th of this month to this day, the number of new confirmed cases reported daily over the past week were 701 → 564 → 463 → 511 → 635 → 715 → 747, averaging about 619 cases per day. Among these, the daily average of locally transmitted cases, a key indicator for adjusting the 'social distancing' level, was 592, which still falls within the 2.5 level range (nationwide 400?500 or more).

Regarding major cluster outbreaks, in Gyeongnam, 38 new confirmed cases were reported after 17:00 the previous day, of which 15 were Uzbek nationals related to the Kimhae Ramadan closing ceremony and a cluster infection linked to a grocery store operated by Uzbeks. Additionally, at the Gangwon Provincial Government building, confirmed cases were reported on this day, prompting over 500 employees to undergo testing, and at the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, one public official tested positive, leading to 368 employees being tested.