COVID-19, 477 Cases Reported by 9 PM on the 17th... 85 Fewer Than Previous Day

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] COVID-19 confirmed cases continued across the country on the 17th.

According to the quarantine authorities, Seoul city, and other local governments, a total of 477 new confirmed cases tested positive from midnight to 9 p.m. on this day. This is 85 fewer than the 562 cases reported at the same time the previous day.

This appears to be a delayed reflection of the reduced number of tests conducted over the weekend and holidays. It is higher than the 446 cases recorded at the same time last Monday, the 10th.

Of the new confirmed cases, 315 (66%) were from the metropolitan area and 162 (34%) from non-metropolitan areas. By city and province, there were 166 in Seoul, 133 in Gyeonggi, 24 in Gangwon, 23 each in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, 16 in Incheon, 15 in Chungnam, 13 each in Busan and Gyeongnam, 12 in Chungbuk, 10 in Daejeon, 9 in Gwangju, 7 in Jeju, 6 in Ulsan, 5 in Jeonbuk, and 2 in Jeonnam.

Among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, Sejong has not yet reported any new confirmed cases.

Since the tally closes at midnight, the number of new confirmed cases announced at 0:00 on the 18th is expected to increase further to the 500s.

On the previous day, 57 additional cases were reported after 9 p.m., closing at a final count of 619.

From the 11th to this day, the daily new confirmed cases over the past week were 511 → 635 → 715 → 747 → 681 → 610 → 619.

With a daily average of about 645 cases over the week, the key indicator for adjusting the 'social distancing' level, the average daily local transmission cases, is approximately 621. This marks a return to the 600 range for the first time in 17 days since the 30th of last month (621 cases). According to distancing criteria, it still falls within level 2.5 (nationwide 400?500 or more cases).

Regarding major new cluster outbreaks, 9 additional infections were confirmed related to entertainment establishments in Wonju, Gangwon Province, totaling 17 confirmed cases over two days starting from the previous day. Also, in Daegu, 15 foreigners tested positive related to an Islamic temple. In Daejeon, 5 members of a university professor’s family were confirmed positive.